1st Lt. Michael Blassie will be reburied in his hometown of St. Louis, Missouri, on Saturday

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The body of a U.S. Air Force lieutenant, which lay buried as an unknown soldier for 14 years, will be reburied in St. Louis, where the serviceman will be hailed as a hometown hero.

The body of 1st Lt. Michael Blassie was to be taken to St. Louis from Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

Blassie was flying an A-37 attack aircraft when he was shot down near An Loc in South Vietnam on May 11, 1972, at age 24.

In 1984, his still unidentified body was interred at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery, beneath an inscription identifying him as "known but to God."

Blassie was flying an A-37 attack aircraft when he was shot down in South Vietnam

A decade later, the Blassie family began lobbying the Pentagon to test the entombed remains, after the family was presented evidence, from the U.S. Veterans Dispatch newsletter, indicating the remains could be that of the lost lieutenant's.

Blassie's body was disinterred, and his remains identified through DNA testing -- a technology unavailable at the time of his death.

The Armed Forces Identification Review Board formally approved the identification of Blassie's remains, which was first announced in June, on Wednesday, clearing the way for his return home.

"We are delighted to be bringing him home and putting Michael to final rest," said his youngest sister, Pat, from St. Louis.

The serviceman will be re-buried on Saturday at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. The funeral is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. local time and will feature military honors, including an F-15 jet "missing man" flyover and a lone bugler sounding taps.

The Blassie family has invited the public to attend the service.

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