Clara Gantt, 94, was at Los Angeles International Airport when her husband's coffin arrived Friday morning, the Los Angeles Times reported. Gantt, who normally uses a wheelchair, stood, weeping during the arrival ceremony.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Gantt, a recipient of the Bronze Star and Purple Heart who had already served in the Pacific theater during World War II, was taken prisoner in 1950. U.S. officials were later told he died in March 1951.

Clara Gantt said her husband told her she should marry again if he did not return from the war. But she said she continued to believe he might be alive, the Times said.

"I told him I missed him so much," she said. "And I expect him to come home and he didn't."