The remains of Army Corporal Edward Pedregon have been identified by the Army. Pedregon went missing in 1950 while serving our country. He was just 20 years old at the time.
Cecilia Fierro said she is proud of her family; she had five brothers serve in the military.
All but one of her brothers made it home alive. So, for the last 61 years Cecilia has waited for information that would explain what happened to her missing brother. "I was hoping for him to come back, so I could see him," Fierro said.
But, he never did return home. Eventually, the Army declared Pedregon dead, even though his remains had never been found. That left Fierro's family in a state of limbo. "It was really hard, and it's been like that all the time," she said.
The six decade-long mystery came to an end Tuesday morning, with a phone call. "It was a world of excitement just to hear someone call and say "hey, we found your uncle,'" said Abel Fierro, Cecilia's son.
Abel, a former Marine, received the call from the Army Casualty Office 10 years after he began his search for answers. "My only wish is that I wish my grandmother was here to hear that news too," he said.
Fierro's eyes fill with tears of joy as she clings to old photographs of her brother. She told Action News she's relieved since she knows that her brother will be given a proper burial. "I'm happy that he's back now, so that he could really really rest in peace," she said.
While closure has finally arrived, Fierro is painfully aware of other families connected to a list of soldier's names. More than 6,000 Korean War-era soldiers are still unaccounted for, according to the Army. "I never lose hope for anything like this, for anybody, or for any soldier for that matter," she said.
The family still doesn't know the details surrounding Corporal Pedregon's death. They're waiting to receive a report from the Army.
