Remains of Marine killed in Vietnam return home

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The remains of a Marine who disappeared 40 years ago after his helicopter crashed during the Vietnam War have been identified and returned to his family in Southern California.

The Department of Defense said Wednesday that Lance Cpl. Luis Palacios will be buried Friday in Bellflower, about 10 miles south of Los Angeles, with full military honors.

Palacios was killed with 11 other military personnel in 1968 when their helicopter was hit by ground fire and crashed into mountains in South Vietnam. The unit was trying to evacuate troops engaged in a firefight.

Between 1993 and 2005, a joint Vietnamese-U.S. team investigated the crash site. A subsequent excavation yielded the remains.

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