Over 82,000 soldiers are still considered missing in action 73 years after the end of World War II. The Department of Defense believes that just under half of those are recoverable. 

But there are programs in the defense department dedicated to making sure those soldiers get home -- even all these years later. 

KSL Newsradio's Kira Hoffelmeyer tells us more about a program at Brigham Young University that uses genealogy to connect lost soldiers with their families. 

Brian Martin, co-host of Utah's Morning News, also speaks with Jill Crandell, a professor at BYU and the director of the school's Family History and Genealogy Center. She tells us more about her center's partnership with the Army. They've been working on 66 cases over the last year, and have successfully filed 55. Most of those have led to the repatriation of these WWII soldiers and returning their remains to the loved ones who lost them. 

This segment of Conference Conversations, "Returning Remains: Using Toda's Technology With Yesterday's Heros" is hosted by Brian Martin, co-host Utah's Morning News. Producer of Jeff Caplan's Afternoon News, Kira Hoffelmeyer, reports. KSL Newsradio is part of Bonneville Media and based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Don't forget to review and subscribe to the Conference Conversations podcast on iTunes. Or follow KSL Newsradio on Twitter and Instagram @kslnewsradio or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kslnewsradio/