The lone dog tag recovered from North Korea had a name
After a solemn ceremony at Hickam, the hard work begins in identifying the remains. One family is a step nearer to closure, with the discovery of a single dog tag among the relics that the North Koreans returned with the remains.
The Military Times reports the military has contacted the family of a service member missing from the Korean War. whose dog tag was found among the 55 cases of war remains repatriated to the U.S. on Thursday.
His family will be presented that tag in Arlington, Va., next week as they arrive with hundreds of others for an annual meeting on the efforts to find their missing family members.
The dog tag was among the cases of human bones and a limited number of artifacts, such as boots, buttons and buckles that North Korea said came from the village of SinHung-Ri, location of the 1950 Battle of Chosin Reservoir, said John Byrd, chief scientist for the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
More than 3,000 U.S. Marines and soldiers perished at Chosin, and more than 12,000 were wounded in one of costliest battles of the war. Byrd said the North Koreans said the bones came from the eastern side of the village, which leads him to believe they are likely Army remains.
More than 5,300 U.S. remains are still missing in North Korea.
Byrd, who participated in previous remains transfers from North Korea before those exchanges were suspended in 2005, rode on the C-17 into Wonson, North Korea, last Friday. There on the ground, he was greeted by North Korean officers who showed him the contents of the boxes. Byrd said he performed a cursory review of bones to verify they were human.
“That was confirmed in Wonson before we actually loaded the boxes onto the C-17,” Byrd said.
The article in it’s entirety can be found here:
A promising gesture in relations with North Korea, but the path ahead is still in question.
Category: North Korea
The long road on this is DNA confirmation.
After that, finding any living relatives.
The two (DNA confirmation and finding any living relatives, if we can) are related, Ex-PH2.
DNA testing requires a reference sample. While an autologous sample is best, samples from specified close blood relatives (nuclear DNA) or matrilineal relatives (mtDNA) are needed. DoD now collects autological DNA samples from those in the military so that their remains can be positively identified. But in 1950-1953, we didn’t.
As I note in each “No Longer Missing” article: DPAA has a chart that indicates who among a MIA’s relatives can and cannot give each type of sample. If you have a missing relative from World War II, Korea, or Vietnam – and you’re eligible to give either type of sample – please do so. By doing so, you may help to identify them if their remains are ever recovered.
Everyone deserves a proper burial. That’s especially true for those who gave all while serving their country.
They were waffling on DNA collection when I was active (early ‘90s)—-yes, no privacy, whatever.
Welcome home, brothers. You can finally rest.
Welcome home. Not to be a little bitch, they can ditch that UN flag. They have been pissing on us for a while now. These men are Americans.
It’s more a gesture to all the countries that participated, and have their own missing men. The UN flags came off and were replaced with ours before the ceremony at Hickem.
Indeed, if you go to the Mil Times link, you will see a video of the transfer cases in Hawaii, each with Old Glory atop.
That’s good. The men from the other countries fought for the same reasons and should be honored. I just have a case of the ass for the UN. I am sure it started out in good faith, but lately I have no use for the organization.
And you are not alone in that assessment.
I have no idea why that rag is draped on the coffins unless there is doubt as to whether the bones are those of American servicemen.
Actually, Charles W, that may not be the case. Some Army units had large contingents of KATUSA troops with them, so it is not a given that they are all Americans. Likely so, but not a certainty. It bothered me as well, until I remembered this fact.
Some woman on twitter said all this was a waste of money. I’m pretty sure she was trying to goad me into some sort of argument.
But still…What a rotten thing to say.
Some people simply have no sense of decency, Atkron.
Atkron…It may be a “waste of money” to her, but it is PRICELESS to those who lost a loved one in the Korean Conflict who may finally be coming Home after 65 years.
As Jonn always wrote “Welcome Home”…
In some ways of thinking, it may be a “waste of money”, but it helps fulfill a promise made to us when we all became members of the military. I can think of much bigger wastes of money just off the top of my head.
Ironic that the freedom to desecrate our war dead was secured by the very people she thinks it’s a “waste of money” to bring home.
Somehow I seriously doubt she sees the irony.
Welcome home, warriors. You were gone but never forgotten. I am humbled by your sacrifice.
Welcome Home Brothers.
Welcome Home.
So sad, but not surprising:
http://insider.foxnews.com/2018/08/02/cnn-msnbc-fails-cover-pence-ceremony-korean-war-remains
Fox News carried the event live….however, CNN covered the ceremony for 58 seconds, ABC 24 seconds…and NBC, CBS & MSNBC zero coverage.
Bet if the VP had been Tim Kaine, the coverage would have been different. 🤔
The Korean Conflict IS a forgotten war. Our MIAs will NEVER be forgotten. Bring them ALL home.
Fox News just aired about a 20 minute segment regarding the forensic aspect. The chief scientist was showing helmets, bayonets, canteens, mess kits, etc. More dog tags have been located as well.
Humbling to say the least.
Very good news, thanks.
Welcome Home Warriors. But, Again Kimchee; What about the other 7.some odd thousand?
Welcome Home Brothers. You are the start of the return to home. Lets pray it is quicker then has been.
‘A promising gesture in relations with North Korea, but the path ahead is still in question.’
Mainly becoause our idiot MSM refuses to give a certain story, detailed below, which shows the N. Korea is taking ‘normalized relations’ very seriously. I can only guess, but it’s a well educated guess.
You’ll have to do some digging to find it.
Basically, a western reporter who has a lot of time in N. Korea, noted something truly amazing; The numerous anti-US propaganda posters and statues, etc. were ‘disappeared’ almost overnight and replaced with sayings and displayed – all of them praising the US and preventing a focus on reconciliation between the USA and N. Korea.
Anyone with professional knowledge, or even an inkling dealing with communist regimes and their worship of ‘friendly’ propaganda would instantly discern that the recent activities in N. Korea were evidence that the N. Korean govt. was taking a dramatic change in attitudes towards the USA.
I suspect that his closest advisers finally took a gamble and flat our told him that having the US as a friend would be a permanent solution to the famine and lack of infrastructure that has plagued N. Korea for decades.
That, and having to go to China and beg for coal and oil every couple of years was probably becoming a nagging issue.
My #02. …
I noted this phenomenon here, Mr. Sm:
https://valorguardians.com/blog/?p=80156
“The New York Post reports the North Korean government is erasing much of its anti-U.S. propaganda following dictator Kim Jong-un’s sorties onto the world stage.
Posters portraying the U.S. as a “rotten, diseased, pirate nation” and promising “merciless revenge” on American forces for any attack on the Hermit Kingdom have disappeared.”
Haven’t heard squat about it since, either. Anything that reflects well on the Trump administration is simply not reported. And the idiots like CNN’s Acosta wonder why they’re held in contempt by a large part of US citizens.
Excellent and well done.
Very sorry for my piss-poor internet search-fu; I humbly ask for your forgiveness.
Respectfully,
Mr. Sharkman
No foul no harm, Mr. Sharkman.