Updated

CHARLOTTE, N.C.-- An Army soldier who went missing on a mission in Laos during the Vietnam War will be buried this weekend in North Carolina.

The remains of Sgt. 1st Class Donald Shue, a Green Beret who had been on a secret special forces mission in Laos, were found on a farmer's property in that country a few months ago. Shue's sister Betty Jones tells The Associated Press that she didn't initially believe Army officials who said her brother had been found.

But she was convinced when they showed her a Zippo lighter, inscribed with his name, that was found in Laos. Shue hadn't been seen since November 1969.

Thousands are expected to pay their respects this weekend in Concord, where Shue was born, and nearby Kannapolis, where he was raised.