Remains of Texan who died in WWII return home 74 years later

More than 70 years after he died, the remains of a Texas soldier who died in World War II are back in his home state.

The remains of Army Private Kenneth D. Farris, of tiny Dodson, TX, arrived at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport Friday afternoon. It’s a moment that his family has been waiting more than seven decades for.

Pvt. Farris was just 19 when he went missing in combat operations during the Battle of Hurtgen Forest in late 1944. After he was wounded by artillery, he went missing. He was declared missing in action before being officially declared dead the following year.

His remains were accounted for this year, having been identified through DNA and dental analysis.

His sister, Judith Bingham, was just six-years-old when her brother was killed. She said she has always known that he’d come back to them.

“For 74 years he's been gone and for 55 I've looked for him, been everywhere, talked to all kinds of people that helped him but it's a reality,” Bingham said.

She says that she started writing his story but could never write the ending because she didn’t know how, or when, the word would come that her brother was coming home.

Now she finally has an answer.

Pvt. Farris’ remains were escorted from the airport by the North Texas Patriot Guard and Dallas Police. They’ll be there again to escort his family to DFW National Cemetery, where he will be buried on Monday.