Remains Of Soldier Killed During Korean War Return Home To Mass.
READING (CBS) - His flag-draped casket was carried by soldiers not even born yet when he vanished – and even his aging nephews struggled for a handle on the homecoming.
"It's unexplainable what emotions you go through," says Art Vars while shaking his head.
He's talking about his uncle – Army Sgt. Christopher Vars – who fought in World War Two and then re-enlisted when the Korean War broke out. He went missing in action on November 29, 1950 while fighting with his infantry unit near the Chongchon River.
The remains of Sgt. Vars were actually among many recovered during the early 1990's buried in a mass grave just outside a North Korean POW camp.
Army forensic experts first suspected they were his in 2009 – but it took until now for a DNA match to confirm it.
So Wednesday morning – some 65 years after his death – Sgt. Vars was flown into Logan Airport where his family waited on the tarmac.
A state police escort then cleared a path to Reading where the Vars motorcade was greeted by scores of flag-waving folks on Main Street – passing underneath a huge American flag hung between a pair of fire ladders.
"It almost makes me want to cry," says veteran Eric Doucette, there with his young daughter. "This guy gave everything for us."
"It just makes you feel proud," offers resident Elizabeth Dearborn, "and warms your heart for the day."
It was the kind of reception that made the day bittersweet for the Vars family.
"This is a happy day," Art Vars began, only to have brother Charlie quickly jump in. "Yes it's exciting," Charlie says. "But it's also sobering."
Sobering because the Vars family can now fill in at least some of the blanks about their uncle. The Army now says he was likely a prisoner of war in North Korean "Camp Number 5" for several months before his death.
The Army even provided an aerial photo of the camp along with some group pictures of American POW's there.
"These are things you see on TV – that you have dreams about," says nephew Charlie. "But today they are very real for our family."
The family has decided to pass on burial at Arlington National Cemetery in favor of a spot next to his parents at Woodlawn Cemetery in Everett – something requested by Christopher's late brother.
A funeral service for Sgt. Vars is set for October 6 at the Congregational church in Reading.
