Marine First Sgt. Timothy La Sage, left, salutes as the remains of retired Marine Capt. Grady Kurpasi are transferred from a Turkish airlines plane at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, Friday, May 19, 2023, in New York. The remains of a U.S. Marine veteran who had been missing in Ukraine for more than a year will be returned to his family in eastern North Carolina later Friday, according to the group bringing the remains back to the U.S. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)Teresa Irwin, left, sister of Marine Capt. Grady Kurpasi, watches as Marine First Sgt. Timothy La Sage, center, and Port Authority police officer salute after placing his remains into an waiting car at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, Friday, May 19, 2023, in New York. The remains of a U.S. Marine veteran who had been missing in Ukraine for more than a year will be returned to his family in eastern North Carolina later Friday, according to the group bringing the remains back to the U.S. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)Marine First Sgt. Timothy La Sage, left, and Port Authority police officers salute as the remains of retired Marine Capt. Grady Kurpasi are transferred from a Turkish airlines plane at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, Friday, May 19, 2023, in New York. The remains of a U.S. Marine veteran who had been missing in Ukraine for more than a year will be returned to his family in eastern North Carolina later Friday, according to the group bringing the remains back to the U.S. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)Teresa Irwin, left, sister of Marine Capt. Grady Kurpasi, watches as Marine First Sgt. Timothy La Sage, center, and Port Authority police officer place his remains into an waiting car at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, Friday, May 19, 2023, in New York. The remains of a U.S. Marine veteran who had been missing in Ukraine for more than a year will be returned to his family in eastern North Carolina later Friday, according to the group bringing the remains back to the U.S. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
Marine First Sgt. Timothy La Sage, left, salutes as the remains of retired Marine Capt. Grady Kurpasi are transferred from a Turkish airlines plane at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, Friday, May 19, 2023, in New York. The remains of a U.S. Marine veteran who had been missing in Ukraine for more than a year will be returned to his family in eastern North Carolina later Friday, according to the group bringing the remains back to the U.S. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
NEW YORK – The remains of a U.S. Marine veteran who was missing in Ukraine for more than a year returned to the United States on Friday and were headed to his hometown in eastern North Carolina.
A Turkish Airlines plane flying from Istanbul with the remains of retired Marine Capt. Grady Kurpasi landed at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport in the early evening. They were loaded onto a private jet bound for Wilmington, North Carolina.
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Kurpasi, a 50-year-old Iraq War veteran, volunteered in February 2022 to help evacuate Ukrainian residents and later fought in the Ukrainian Foreign Legion, according to the Weatherman Foundation, the group that located his remains and repatriated them.
He was last seen in April 2022 after investigating the source of some gunfire with fellow volunteers in southern Ukraine and was declared dead last month by the U.S. State Department.
“There is an unspoken bond between those who serve in uniform,” said Weatherman Foundation President Meghan Mobbs, who led the effort to retrieve Kurpasi's remains. “If you give your life in combat, your fellow Americans will bear any burden to bring you home.”
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
