MILLER, S.D. (AP) — The remains of a World War II fighter pilot from South Dakota will be buried in his hometown of Miller more than 70 years after he went missing during a fierce combat mission in Germany.

The Argus Leader reports that 1st Lt. Ben B. Barnes will be laid to rest on Saturday during a ceremony at GAR Cemetery in Miller. Barnes remained missing and presumed dead for decades, until his remains were recovered from a crash site northeast of Berlin.

Lt. Col. David Fossum with the South Dakota Army National Guard says Barnes' remains weren't found for so long, partly because the area where he crashed was located behind the Iron Curtain after World War II ended and the Cold War began.

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