INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Fifty-one years after a U.S. soldier was killed in Vietnam, Hoosiers got the chance to honor him with a funeral in his hometown.

U.S. Army First Lieutenant Alan Bardach, 24, was a graduate of Broad Ripple High School and Purdue University.

He was killed in a helicopter crash on Jan. 8, 1968, in a remote area. Remains were recovered but couldn’t be identified at the time.

He was laid to rest in a group burial in Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, until recently, when the remains were given to the DPAA at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware where analysts were able to match his DNA with family members.

His remains returned home to Indianapolis on Thursday with a greeting from dozens of the Patriot Guard and a ceremony on the tarmac of the Indianapolis International Airport.

On Saturday, a public service and burial with full military honors was held at Crown Hill Cemetery.

Gov. Holcomb also ordered flags to fly at half-staff Saturday in his honor.