AUSTIN, Texas -- For nearly 60 years a Central Texas soldier who fought in the Korean war was listed as “killed in action.”  His body was never found and his family has never gotten the chance to give him the military funeral he deserves.  But that will soon change, after technology and a chance discovery helped to positively identify his remains.

It was late November –1950, the first year of the Korean War.  The 66 members of the 8th Army Ranger Company, 25th Infantry Division, were dug in on historic Hill 205, surrounded by and under massive attack from the Chinese army.

"One night, the Chinese tried to invade them and it took five times.  They couldn't get through yet," said Saul Salazar, Luna's Nephew.

Before the sixth attempt, most of the surviving American troops decided to pull back -- but not Private First Class Librado Luna of Taylor.

"When they pulled back, my uncle and three others stayed behind to give cover.  The other people moved out,  When they went back they could never find him," Salazar said.

Luna died that day, November 25th -- his 18th birthday.

"He did everything that he could, he gave his life on his birthday," Salazar said.

Luna was later promoted to the rank of Corporal, but his body was never found, leaving his family with unanswered questions.

"I always felt like there was something out there that we needed to find out," said Luna's niece, Susie Morky

Then, ten years ago, some North Korean school children found human remains as they were preparing to plant trees on what had been Hill 205. A joint Korean/American team investigated.

"I really thought they would never find anything,” said Morky.  “But what made me happy knowing is that they were trying and that it may happen someday."

“Someday” arrived on the 6th of this month. Four years after it began DNA testing, the army was able to determine that a hip bone recovered on Hill 205 did indeed belong to Corporal Luna.

"We just couldn't forget about it, we had to go back and find out and that's why we did what we did," Salazar said.

Now, Corporal Luna's remains will be flown back to Central Texas and he'll be given a full military funeral -- 58 years to the day he gave his life for his country on his 18th birthday.

"He fought for our country," said Morky, holding back tears.

She added, "That he was an honorable man and willing to fight for his country, and that fact that he did fight and joined the military should make us all proud that he walked this earth."