It was a flight like every other, but as the packed Delta airplane Flight 629 prepared to touch down in Detroit, the captain made an announcement that immediately silenced everyone on board.

"We have the honor of bringing a fallen soldier home," said the captain. As soon as the plane touched down, an Honor Guard ceremony began for Private First Class Curtis J. Wells.

Ruth Malhotra was on the plane when the announcement was made. She says that she witnessed the incredible silence that fell over everyone as they completed the flight.

When the plane touched down, a somber applause erupted from the passengers. Everyone strained to see the flag-draped casket of the fallen soldier as it was transferred from the aircraft.

What happened next made time stand still....

"Curtis J. Wells made the ultimate sacrifice for our country in the Korean War," said the captain. "64 years later, he is coming home."

In the early 1950's, Private Wells was a 19-year-old soldier who was reported Missing In Action while serving in the Korean War. The Pentagon had recently confirmed his remains had been found in Korea and were being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

As passengers looked on, members of the fallen soldier's family stood on the tarmac, proudly welcoming their lost loved one home. After more than 60 years, they had peace at last.

In late November 1950, Wells was assigned to Company C, 65th Engineer Combat Battalion, 25th Infantry Division. His company had joined the Task Force Wilson in the fight against the Chinese People's Volunteer Forces near Unsan, North Korea.

His Task Force was overwhelmed and Wells was unaccounted for in the retreat. The battalion reported him as missing in action. His name did not appear on any POW lists provided, and none of the repatriated American POWs had information about Wells' whereabouts.

It wasn't until October 1998, that a Joint Recovery Operation between U.S. and North Korea that Wells' body was discovered at a burial site near to where the battle took place. It took years to identify the remains from DNA analysis, mitochondrial, autosomal DNA, that had been matched by two brothers. The scientists from the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also matched dental records from Wells' file.

Now Army Cpl. Curtis J. Wells has finally made it home. His family found closure and everyday travelers got a touching glimpse into what it really means to "never leave a man behind."

"There was this feeling that we just witnessed something special and historic," Malhotra told CBS News.

[h/t CBS News / Facebook / American Veterans]