U.S. remains returned by North Korea could take days or decades to identify

United Nations Command Chaplain U.S. Army Col. Sam Lee performs a blessing of sacrifice and remembrance on the 55 boxes of remains thought to be of U.S. soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War, returned by North Korea to the U.S., at the Osan Air Base in South Korea, July 27. U.S. Army/ Sgt. Quince Lanford/via REUTERS

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When the remains of Americans handed over by North Korea arrive in Hawaii on Wednesday, the U.S. military will begin a painstaking identification process that experts said could take from three days to two decades to complete.

The 55 boxes, draped in the blue and white flag of the United Nations, are each small enough to be carried in one person's arms.