ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (AP) — Relatives of a Chicago-area Marine killed during World War II are welcoming his body back after 75 years being buried in Hawaii as an unknown serviceman.

Military officials say DNA tests helped confirm the identity of Marine Corps Tech. Sgt. Harry Carlsen of Brookfield, who was 31 when he was killed while storming a Japanese stronghold in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands.

Ed Spellman of St. Charles tells the Daily Herald that a phone call came of the blue in July that his great-uncle’s body had been identified. He says his mother donated DNA in 2008 for the identification, but she died in 2012.

Carlsen’s relatives plan on meeting his casket Wednesday at O’Hare International Airport. He’ll be buried Saturday at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery near Joliet.

___

Information from: Daily Herald, http://www.dailyherald.com