A joint repatriation ceremony at Danang International Airport, after Vietnam handed over remains believed to be of American soldiers who died during the war in the 1960s and 70s.<br/> <br />The ceremony was held by the POW/MIA Accounting Command, or JPAC, in conjunction with the Vietnam Office for Seeking Missing Persons.<br/> <br />U.S. military honour guards and JPAC officers transferred the remains into a U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft ahead of repatriation to the United States.<br/> <br />The remains will be flown to a lab at JPAC headquarters in Hawaii for identification.<br/> <br />Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Keane said this is an important process for the families of soldiers who disappeared during the war.<br/> <br />(SOUNDBITE)(English) LIEUTENANT COLONEL PATRICK KEANE, SAYING:<br/> <br />"It's closure. For those families, their love ones have been missing this long time. We have, I have family members regularly come to our office where we speak to them about their cases and it's truly a closure for them to know that we brought their lost one home."<br/> <br />To date, 968 missing Americans who fought in the Vietnam War have been identified since 1973.<br/> <br />But 1,678 are still unaccounted for.<br/> <br />Travis Brecher, Reuters
