More than 60 years after his death, Corporal Thomas Mullins, who served in the United States Army, is finally coming home.
- Cpl. Mullins taken prisoner in North Korea in 1950
- DNA sample allowed positive identification of remains
- Mullins to be buried at Bay Pines National Cemetery
"It's an emotional event, but I'm so excited that he's finally being recognized, he's identified and he's coming home," said Lisa Bailey, a cousin.
Mullins enlisted in the Army at 18 and was sent to Korea. He was captured and taken as a prisoner of war while fighting near Unsan, North Korea in November 1950.
Other P.O.W.'s reported that he died in a prison camp in 1951, but his remains were never identified.
A DNA sample finally provided the missing link.
"They had done the research, found out my mom was a cousin, so they asked her to be a DNA donor and her and her sister agreed to it," Bailey explained. "They were a match and they were able to positively identify him."
Mullins's remains were flown to Tampa International Airport and retrieved by his family.
Bailey said her mother doesn't have many memories of Mullins.
"He joined the military as soon as he was old enough and got shipped out, but she said he used to take them to the movies, and he was the jokester of the family, always keeping everybody upbeat and happy," Bailey said. "Her last memory of him, they had family dinner right before he was being shipped out."
Mullins will be buried next week at Bay Pines National Cemetery in St. Petersburg.