Remains of missing World War II veterans reunited with families

U.S. Marine Sgt. Nolan Luckett, of Lemont, Ill., plays a bugle during a ceremony honoring 36 unidentified Marines found at a World War II battlefield after they arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Sunday, July 26, 2015, in Honolulu.

Remains of 39 WWII U.S. Marines repatriated in Pearl Harbor ceremony.

The 39 Marines were listed missing in action from the World War II Battle of Tarawa. According to a story from The Associated Press, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency will complete the effort of identifying the Marines.

The remains were recovered by a non-profit called History Flight, which has been sending teams of scientists and historians to Tarawa for the last decade. Reverently loaded onto a Marine KC-130J Hercules, they were flown to their home country for the first time in more than 70 years.

About 520 U.S. servicemen are still unaccounted for. Japanese machine gun fire killed scores of Marines when their boats got stuck on the reef at low tide during the U.S. amphibious assault.

Out of the 3,500 soldiers from Japan who defended the atoll, only 17 made it out alive.

According to History Flight, one of the 36 bodies recovered from the Pacific atoll was of 1st Lt. Alexander J. He was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously after witnesses credited Bonnyman with leading forces who fought back at the Japanese, saved U.S. Marines and eventually helped the United States secure the island of Betio. The Marathon, Florida-based organization used ground-penetrating radar, reviewed thousands of military documents and interviewed veterans to narrow down possible grave sites.