Updated 10/21/2010 11:55 PM
Body Of Missing WWII Soldier To Return Home
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More than 65 years after his death, the remains of a missing World War II soldier from Queens are being returned to his family.
The U.S. Department of Defense says Army Staff Sergeant John Simonetti and other members of the 9th infantry were taking part in a deadly mission against German forces.
He was killed just outside a French town.
In May of 2009, a body with Simonetti's dog tags was found by a French construction crew and a DNA test was done.
Nearly a hundred family members plan to attend his burial.
"Two miracles here, one that we found his body and got closure and I know my grandmother and my mother and their siblings would feel so good about it. But the miracle of the family coming together as it used to be in the 40s and the 50s is equally as large," said Simonetti's nephew, Fred Salerno.
Simonetti, who grew up in Jackson Heights, was 26 years old when he died.
He will be buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday, where Cardinal Edward Egan is expected to say mass.