A Korean War soldier finally received the military funeral he deserved on what would have been his 93rd birthday.
Coming Home
Pfc. Vincent Vega was laid to rest on Oct. 3 in Elwood, Illinois.
The Army veteran was considered missing in action (MIA) following combat in Osan, Korea in June 1950. Battling a Chinese offensive in the early stages of the war, Vega and his fellow comrades fought valiantly, pushing back a communist takeover of South Korea.
Vega joined the Army at age 18, and not long after graduating basic training, was sent to the front lines of the brewing conflict in Korea.
His family had the agonizing wait of 75 years to finally bring him home. Earlier this year, through DNA analysis, his remains were properly identified.
Louis Vasquez, a nephew of Vega’s, was only 10 months old when his uncle was declared MIA.
“I didn’t know him, but he knew me,” Vasquez told the Shaw Local News Network.
Despite never meeting his newborn nephew, Vega made sure to mention him in letters he sent home from the Army.
About 20 relatives attended Vega’s memorial service at the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Joliet. Barbara Schoenfeld, Vega’s niece, said the whole experience of properly identifying her uncle’s remains and being able to give him a proper funeral means a great deal to the family.
Missing
One important person was missing, however.
“I just wish my mother could have been here,” Schoenfeld said.
Esther Vasquez, her mother and Vega’s sister, died in 2021. Vasquez spent most of her long life wondering what happened to her brother. Will he ever come home? Assuming he was killed all those years ago, will his remains ever be found?
But by matching Vasquez’s DNA with her brother’s DNA, the family was able to put the decades-long mystery to rest. The remains belong to Vega.
Vega’s MIA status wasn’t the only hardship the family endured. All six Vega children were orphans. Both parents passed away at an early age. Two brothers are still living, including Richard Vega, who attended his brother’s funeral. Richard Vega cracked with emotion while reciting the Prayers of the Faithful to honor his brother.
Family members no longer live in Joliet; they’re dispersed throughout the country. However, it was important to them that Vega’s final resting place be close to where he grew up in Elwood at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery. They asked St. Joseph’s pastor, Rev. John Hornicak, if he could officiate the funeral.
“We said, ‘Of course,’” Hornicak said.
Presiding over the funeral Mass, the pastor read from the Second Book of Timothy, a Bible passage that states: “I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.”
Hornicak also pointed to the words of St. Paul, reflecting Vega’s young life and untimely death on the battlefield in Korea.
“Vincent will receive the crown of righteousness, a reward for his faithful service,” Hornicak said.
Proper Respects
Members of the Army funeral honors team served as pallbearers. As the casket was carried to and from the church, the Joliet Fire Honor Guard stood at attention. Vega was also honored with bagpipe music from a piper with the Joliet Police Pipe & Drums, and Rolling Thunder, a local motorcycle group, provided an escort to the veteran’s funeral procession.
It was a moving experience Vega’s family won’t soon forget.
“He’s getting what he deserves,” Louis Vasquez said. “He was a hero.”
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