The remains of Army Air Force Staff Sergeant David Emery Holeman landed in Tulsa decades after he died as a prisoner of war.
Holeman was a member of the 17th Pursuit Squadron, 24th Pursuit Group at Nichols Field in the Philippines.
"He was there in the Philippines, in Bhutan. He was in the Bhutan Death March. He survived the death march. But he died in prison in Cabanatuan and they put him in a mass grave, and last year they finally identified his remains, and they’re bringing him home today," said family members Barbara and Kelley Pollock.
Kimberley Denning, director of the Eastern Oklahoma Healthcare System emphasized the importance of the return of his remains.
"It’s important to recognize that this man is returning back to his homeplace with his family," Denning said.
On Wednesday, Holeman was flown into Tulsa to be escorted to Independence, Kansas, where he'll be buried beside his father, Albert Holeman, at Mount Hope Cemetary.
"Today, we’re here to escort the remains of our WWII veteran, he’s coming in on a flight, and we’re going to escort him up to Independence, Kansas," said Glenn Stuart of CVMA Chapter 10-2 Tulsa.
Anthony Jones, Captain and member of the Department of Veteran Affairs explained what members of the VA were planning to do after Holeman arrived.
"We’ll be escorting to the Oklahoma state line where we’ll be meeting up with Kansas Highway Patrol and Wichita VA police will be picking up from there and bringing him into Independence, Kansas," said Jones.
Stuart said many members came to Tulsa for the escort from Kansas, Oklahoma City, and even Missouri.
"That’s a huge sigh of relief. It is, it is. It’s just nice to know that we don’t have to wonder where he is or what happened to him. You know, we know that God took care of him, and we appreciate all the love and prayers and we’re just happy to have him home," said Barbara and Kelley Pollock.
Not only is it a relief for family members to be able to have Holeman's remains returned, those assisting with his escort see it as a great honor.
"For me, considering that he’s a WWII veteran, it’s a huge honor," said Stuart.
Holeman's journey has been one that many fallen U.S. military heroes have faced before, but not many are able to return home.
"There’s a mess of them that they still haven’t been able to identify, but our prayers are with them, and sooner or later, one way or another, they’ll find out where they’re at, where they belong," Barbara and Kelley Pollock said.
As Stuart phrased it, "gotta escort the brother back home where he belongs."
A local hearse will lead a procession from the airport to Independence, where Holeman will lie in state at Webb & Rodrick Chapel until his independent funeral service on June 2.