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PARIS, Texas - The last time anyone heard from Floyd Coker was 60 years ago. A prisoner of the Korean War, he was believed to be buried in a mass grave.
But, the East Texas soldier has now been identified, and his remains are coming home Friday. It has led to a rush of memories for his family in Paris, Texas. They hoped the day would come while fearing it never would.
"That's me and uncle Floyd," said Flora Willbourn while looking through family photos.
All that Linda Harris, Willbourn's daughter, knows about her uncle comes from the stories her mother told. He went missing in 1951.
Willbourn said she was frightened for Coker, her brother, when he was shipped off to World War II, and devastated when he was drafted a second time.
"He was so disappointed when they called him back for that Korean War," Willbourn said.
She has clung to the prized photos of him and to the letters he wrote her.
Two months after Coker landed in Korea, he was captured. For his father, it was too much.
"All he did was sit and listen to the radio when he went missing," Willbourn said.
She said he died just a few months later.
The conditions in the prison camp were horrible.
"When they captured him, he got pneumonia," Willbourn said. "I guess they just starved to death."
Coker died two months after he was captured. His family didn't know that for four years he was buried in a mass grave. But, he was never forgotten - not by his sister and not by the United States of America.
"It just happened to be on my birthday and they called and said, 'We found the remains of Floyd Coker,'" Harris said.
The Joint POW MIA Command pieced his remains back together after they were returned almost a decade ago.
"My uncle was in five different crates," Harris said.
"But, they put him together and did the DNA with me and my son after we gave them our blood," Willbourn said.
It was a dream come true for the family.
"I was so grateful when I found out we could have his remains," Willbourn said.
Now, they burst with pride, and not just for Coker who gave his life for our freedom,
"I want people to know the military didn't give up," Harris said. "He's been dead for 60 years and the military kept looking. They could have just quit; they didn't have to keep looking."
Coker's remains will arrive at 7:15 a.m. Friday at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. A motorcade will travel to Paris, Texas for a funeral on Sunday.
But, the East Texas soldier has now been identified, and his remains are coming home Friday. It has led to a rush of memories for his family in Paris, Texas. They hoped the day would come while fearing it never would.
"That's me and uncle Floyd," said Flora Willbourn while looking through family photos.
All that Linda Harris, Willbourn's daughter, knows about her uncle comes from the stories her mother told. He went missing in 1951.
Willbourn said she was frightened for Coker, her brother, when he was shipped off to World War II, and devastated when he was drafted a second time.
"He was so disappointed when they called him back for that Korean War," Willbourn said.
She has clung to the prized photos of him and to the letters he wrote her.
Two months after Coker landed in Korea, he was captured. For his father, it was too much.
"All he did was sit and listen to the radio when he went missing," Willbourn said.
She said he died just a few months later.
The conditions in the prison camp were horrible.
"When they captured him, he got pneumonia," Willbourn said. "I guess they just starved to death."
Coker died two months after he was captured. His family didn't know that for four years he was buried in a mass grave. But, he was never forgotten - not by his sister and not by the United States of America.
"It just happened to be on my birthday and they called and said, 'We found the remains of Floyd Coker,'" Harris said.
The Joint POW MIA Command pieced his remains back together after they were returned almost a decade ago.
"My uncle was in five different crates," Harris said.
"But, they put him together and did the DNA with me and my son after we gave them our blood," Willbourn said.
It was a dream come true for the family.
"I was so grateful when I found out we could have his remains," Willbourn said.
Now, they burst with pride, and not just for Coker who gave his life for our freedom,
"I want people to know the military didn't give up," Harris said. "He's been dead for 60 years and the military kept looking. They could have just quit; they didn't have to keep looking."
Coker's remains will arrive at 7:15 a.m. Friday at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. A motorcade will travel to Paris, Texas for a funeral on Sunday.
