Korean War vet's remains identified, returned to U.S. for burial

[thedrifter]

Korean War vet's remains identified, returned to U.S. for burial

By: Associated Press

MEDINA, N.Y. -- The remains of a U.S. soldier missing since his unit was surrounded during a Korean War battle have been identified and returned to the United States.

Army Sgt. Frank Bunchuk of Medina was to be buried Thursday in Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors, the Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office said Wednesday.

Bunchuk's unit was occupying a defensive position southwest of Unsan, North Korea, near a bend in the Kuryong River known as the Camel's Head.


On Nov. 1, parts of two Chinese Communist Divisions surrounded Bunchuk's unit, forcing a withdrawal, according to a Defense Department account. He and more than 350 other servicemen went missing. Of those, 22 have been accounted for over the years, said Air Force 1st Lt. Mary Olsen, a DOD spokeswoman in Washington.

In 2002, a joint U.S.-North Korea team recovered human remains at a burial site south of Unsan. They were identified as Bunchuk's through circumstantial evidence, DNA and dental records, the DOD said. The research team still has remains that it believes belonged to three other soldiers killed at Unsan, Olsen said.

On the Net:

Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office: www.dtic.mil/dpmo

Ellie

[yanacek]

Thanks for posting information such as this. It is important for everyone to remember that 8,200 Americans are still MIA in Korea and the surrounding waters. Work to recover and identify American servicemen continues. Right now there are 800+ Americans buried in Hawaii as "Unknown."

Those interested in Korean MIA issue can find great information at http://www.koreanwar.org This site also assists family members in submitting DNA to make the identification process possible.

[sparkie]

Welcome home. Sargent. Full honors for sure.