Marine veteran's remains return home to Southern California after he was killed fighting in Ukraine

MENIFEE, Calif. (KABC) -- The remains of a U.S. Marine veteran who was killed while fighting in the Russia-Ukraine war were flown to Southern California before being escorted to a mortuary in Riverside County.

The remains of Ian Tortorici arrived at Ontario International Airport on Thursday morning. Members of the public lined the streets along the route as a hearse transporting Tortorici's casket made its way to the mortuary in Menifee.

The 32-year-old veteran was a graduate of Laguna Hills High School. He voluntarily resigned from his job with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in order to join the Ukrainian International Legion.

Tortorici was killed in a missile strike.

"He never did anything to receive credit," said his father, Jon Frank. "He just did what he thought he needed to do and never looked back."

Frank said his son spent 15 months on the frontlines of several battles, including one in which he provided medical care for a soldier hit by an explosion.

The news of Tortorici's death came as a shock to his mother, who believed her son was on assignment for his job with ICE.

"I always prayed for him, 'God keep him safe and bring him back home' and that I would hear from him, but I never did,'" said his mother Sochitl Frank.

Battles in recent weeks have taken place on multiple points along the over 600-mile front line as Ukraine wages a counteroffensive with Western-supplied weapons and Western-trained troops against Russian forces who invaded 17 months ago.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated his troops on reclaiming control of a village, while Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Russian troops "heroism" in repelling attacks in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.