Ramonans Gather to Honor Korean War Vet Buried at Mesa Grande After 60 Years

Ramonans lined Main Street with flags and salutes as the remains of a Mesa Grande man were taken home to his reservation on Saturday morning. Some were interviewed in this Channel 10 report.

Army Cpl. Eugene "Mackie" Morelli died as a prisoner of war in Korea in 1951, according to news reports. He was born on the Mesa Grande Indian Reservation near Santa Ysabel in 1929.

Morelli's remains were returned to the United States in 1991, according to a North County Times article, but were unidentified until DNA was matched to his niece Rosemarie Southcott Johnson this year.

A day honoring Morelli began with family members gathering at . Morelli's cremated remains were brought out by an Army veteran and Native American spiritual leader. Then motorcycle groups took part in the funeral procession along highways 78 and 79 to the Mesa Grande reservation where Morelli was buried.