Military Funeral Set For SE Kansas Soldier Killed In 1952 Crash

After being missing for more than 62 years, the body of a Korean War veteran from southeast Kansas arrived in Tulsa Thursday for the final trip home.

U.S. Army Private Leonard Kittle will be laid to rest Saturday in Caney, Kansas.

His body arrived at Tulsa International Airport. From there, Patriot Riders motorcyclists escorted Kittle's remains back to Caney.

Kittle was one of 53 military personnel on board a C-124 Globemaster aircraft which crashed in a remote area of Alaska on November 22, 1952. The plane was en route from the state of Washington to Elmendorf Air Force base in Anchorage, Alaska.

The military says adverse weather conditions halted immediate recovery efforts. When the weather eventually cleared, rescue crews were unable to locate the plane or the crash site.

On June 9, 2012, the crew of an Alaska National Guard helicopter on routine training spotted the wreckage on a glacier near Mount Gannett east of Anchorage. Kittle's remains were recovered shortly thereafter.

His body was flown to TIA where it was met by family members and the Patriot Guard.

Private Leonard Kittle will be buried in the Caney, Kansas Sunnyside Cemetery with full military honors.