After 75 years, a Woodland soldier is coming home.

On Tuesday, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced that Army Cpl. Albert ‘Junior’ Estrada, 17, of Woodland, killed during the Korean War, was formally identified on April 16. The family reported in late April that they had been notified Estrada’s remains had been identified through DNA testing.

Estrada’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, allowing additional details on his identification, according to the Defense agency.

Estrada’s remains will be interred with full military honors beside his mother at St. Joseph’s Catholic Cemetery in Woodland sometime in mid-June near his mother.

“This homecoming brings peace to a promise we have kept for generations,” the Estrada family shared. “Junior was never forgotten. His name and his spirit have always lived with us. After 75 years, our family can finally welcome him home.”

Estrada’s name is etched in a memorial at the Old Yolo County Courthouse along with the names of others declared Missing in Action. “Estrada Drive” is also named after him.

In late 1950, Estrada was a member of Battery B, 57th Field Artillery Battalion, 31st Regimental Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division.

He was reported missing in action Dec. 6, 1950, in the vicinity of Hagaru-ri near the Jangjin (Chosin) Reservoir, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

“The U.S. Army did not receive any information to indicate that he was ever held as a Prisoner of War and on Dec. 31, 1953, issued a presumptive finding of death,” the agency reported. “He was declared non-recoverable on Jan. 16, 1956.”

On July 27, 2018, following the summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un, North Korea turned over 55 boxes, purported to contain the remains of American service members killed during the Korean War.

The remains arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, on Aug. 1, 2018, and were subsequently sent to the Defense Agency laboratory for identification.

“To identify Estrada’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence,” the Agency reported. “Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA analysis and single nucleotide polymorphism analysis.”

Estrada’s story has been well told by family members, including his brother Manuel Estrada and sister, Ruth Tucker. Other siblings include Rachel, Mary, Gloria, Lupe, Linda, Carmen, and Tilly.In August 2017, Tucker attended a service in Washington, D.C., hosted by the South Korean government to honor those Americans who were still missing from the Korean War.

Tucker was presented with a medal from the Republic of South Korea, titled “Ambassador for Peace.” She also received a medallion showcasing the flags of 21 countries and emblazoned with the South Korean and American flag along with the words: “Honor and Appreciation … We Remember You.”

Tucker was briefed on the laborious process of identifying the remains of service members and said in 2017 that in some cases complete identification of remains can take between four and five years.

It was 1949 when a 17-year-old Albert Estrada joined the U.S. Army with plans of a military career. He won the Army boxing championship at Fort Ord and was later promoted to corporal.

Estrada was eventually assigned to Korea. In North Korea, on Nov. 25, 1950, Estrada’s unit was surprised by a massive Chinese communist attack.

Later known as the Battle of the Ch’ongch’on River, the attack proved to be a decisive battle in the Korean War that lasted until Dec. 2 along the Ch’ongch’on River Valley in the northwestern part of North Korea.

In the subsequent battles and withdrawals from November 26 to December 2, 1950, although the Eighth Army managed to avoid being surrounded by PVA forces, the PVA 8th Army were still able to inflict heavy losses onto the retreating UN forces, which had lost all cohesion.

In the aftermath of the battle, the Eighth Army’s heavy losses forced all UN forces to retreat from North Korea to the 38th Parallel.

Albert was one of only 385 of the original 2,500 troops who were still able to fight. Four days later, the Chinese communist army resumed its attack. Estrada and the others fought them off for two more days before disappearing on Dec. 7, 1950.