Kenneth Cunningham was just 21 when his aircraft disappeared over Vietnam in 1969, declared missing in action only a few months after heading to war.

Staff Sargent Cunningham’s home, however, was a small town in Edwards County. Cunningham was officially listed as MIA for nearly 47 years, but made it home last month after his remains were discovered and identified.

The welcome home was nothing short of patriotic, spectacular and unprecedented.

HOME: Preceded by a bagpiper, the hearse made its way through Albion.

“It has been something of an unreal scene here for the past few days,” describes Rebecca Perry, county manager at the Edwards County Farm Bureau. “The only way I can describe it is a true, unforgettable, patriotic moment that Edwards County will never forget.”

Local news stations and media outlets descended on the small town of Albion and flags draped over interstate overpasses as the military processional delivered his remains from the Evansville airport to Albion. Larry “The Flag Man” Eckhardt of Little York supplied more than 2,400 flags, which a fleet of Edwards County residents, FFA members and more used to line the highways and streets of Albion for the processional.

“When his remains and escort hit the Albion city limits, thousands of people, braving the single-digit air temperatures, had lined the streets and you could have heard a pin drop,” Perry adds.

For an entire community, it was more than just a chance to welcome home a hero. It was a glimpse of true patriotism, and a lesson in exactly what small town American is all about.

Editor’s note: Spangler hails from Albion and has never been prouder of her hometown.