FARGO (KFGO-AM) - The remains of a soldier who died in a North Korean prison camp more than 60 years ago will arrive by air Thursday night at Fargo's Hector International Airport.
Sargent Arnold Andring, a Gary, Minnesota native, will be buried with full military honors Saturday at St. Michaels Cemetary in Mahnomen. The 24-year andring was captured by the Chinese during a battle in South Korea in February, 1951. The army notified his family several years later that he was thought to have died as a P-O-W.
His sister, Lucille Gish of Mahnomen, says his remains were identified through DNA from several siblings earlier this year. She says, "It's a miracle and we are thankful they found him and are bringing him home."
Gish credits her son, Rick Gish of Litchfield, Minnesota, for several years of research that led to the identification of her brother's remains. Rick Gish says he found the right people to talk to and even tracked down a prison camp survivor who reported Andring's death and burial in April of 1951.
Several family members are accompaning Andring's remains back from Hawaii. United Patriotic Bodies will provide a color guard when the flight arrives at 9 p.m.