The remains of Army Private First Class Harry Jerele of Berkeley were returned to Chicago earlier this week after military scientists positively identified them.
Jerele's funeral was held Friday morning in Hillside. He was buried with full military honors at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood.
The 26-year-old World War II POW/MIA soldier was serving in the Illinois Army National Guard when he died on December 28, 1942 of pneumonia in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp in the Philippines.
His remains were accounted for last December when military scientists used DNA analysis and historical records to officially identify his remains.
The family of Jerele said they submitted their DNA nearly 10 years ago in the hopes of identifying his remains, but once they got the call, they said they were shocked and overwhelmed with gratitude.
"It was like, did we really? Did we really hear, right? You know?" Jerele's niece Rosemarie Dillon said. "I mean, at my age, I thought, 'thank God I'm still alive.'"
Dillon was five years old when her uncle became one of the first U.S. Army soldiers to be engage in tank warfare before eventually being taken to the prisoner-of-war camp.
"I think it was maybe a little shock to some of the young men initially, but it became a reality pretty quick," Dillion said.
It was the phone call Jerele's family waited over four decades to hear.
"There's always hope, after 82 years, you know," Jerele's niece Mary McMaster said. "We hoped for this moment, and it became a reality."
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"To be here to represent his parents and his siblings who could not be here. To have this closure. We are really feeling that today," relative Susan Reinstein said.
Family, friends, other veterans and community members gathered to celebrate his life, as Jerele was awarded several medals, including a Congressional Gold Medal.
"It's been overwhelming and amazing," Jerele's niece Patty Thurmond said.
Jerele's funeral Friday was a reminder to never forget the sacrifice that was made for all citizens.
"You realize freedom can cost at a high level," Jerele's nephew Tom Mistrata said.