Repatriation of Utah Korean War veteran 'like a dream' for members of his family

OGDEN — Cpl. David Milano never got the chance to grow old, but the memories and stories of him that his family carries will live on for a lifetime.

The U.S. Army veteran was lost in action while serving in the Korean War on Dec. 2, 1950, and now, 71 years after his disappearance, his remains were repatriated back to the United States, where he will be laid to rest alongside his mother, sister and brother-in-law at Evergreen Memorial Park in Ogden.

One way that Milano's memory will live on is through his nephews, Kevin and David Jordan, who never met Milano themselves, but grew up listening to stories of him told by their late mother.

"He was her protector," Kevin Jordan said.

The brothers talked about how their mom, Delores Jordan, lost her eyesight at 12 years old and had to attend a school for the blind in Illinois. Even though she had to leave early to make it on time, Milano served as her protector and ensured she got to school safely.

Aside from being her protector, Milano also encouraged the then-young Delores Jordan to be comfortable in her own skin, telling her that she was pretty if he ever sensed that she was feeling down.

"They had an extremely close relationship," Kevin Jordan said. "Very, very kind, kind person."

Despite the fact that their uncle existed to them only through the stories they heard from family, Kevin and David Jordan remained confident that he would eventually be repatriated.

When Evergreen Memorial Park first opened, Delores Jordan bought four plots.

"One was for my grandmother, which would be for, you know, my Uncle David's mother, then my mom and my dad," David Jordan said. "They had that fourth plot and they said, 'That's for Uncle David — when they return Uncle David.'"

"She had very strong faith and belief that someday, he'd be returned," Kevin Jordan said.

"And we all did, too," David Jordan said. "We just knew it was going to take a matter of time."

They were so sure that on their mother's final day of life, the brothers ensured her that they would be bringing Milano back to Utah to lay him to rest next to her.

Then, in April 2020, the brothers got a phone call notifying them that the remains of their Uncle David had been positively identified, meaning that he would be repatriated.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the process was delayed until Tuesday, when an Honor Guard made up of members of the Utah National Guard conducted an Honorable Carry at the Salt Lake City International Airport.

Witnessing the Honorable Carry and seeing their uncle's casket finally coming home to Utah after 71 years was "like a dream," Kevin Jordan said.

"It was emotional inside for me because we grew up with his memory," Kevin Jordan said. "My mom was with me ... we believe that they're united in heaven now."

For David Jordan, the moment was "surreal" and filled with "a lot of gratefulness."

"Gratefulness for our government, our Defense Department, going through all that continuous work to be able to make sure that all service members are being able to be brought back and identified and repatriated," David Jordan said.

Though the moment was filled with immense happiness, both brothers acknowledged the only way it could've been made better was if their mother was still around to witness it.

"It'd be great if my mom could have been here for this and I was thinking about that, you know, my mom would love this," Kevin Jordan said.

Now that Milano has been returned to the U.S., the brothers said that his return isn't "closure," instead, it's just the next chapter in his story.

"The mourning has been done and now it's joy-filled," David Jordan said. "Here is Uncle David's story and here's where he's being physically laid to rest and now his memory can live on going forward that he's no longer MIA — we know where he's at."

Like their mother did for them, Kevin and David Jordan were adamant that they would continue to tell the stories of their uncle David Milano, ensuring that his name and memory stay alive in their family.

"His memory will always live on, you know, in his legacy, and that no soldier should be left behind," Kevin Jordan said.

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