20 MIA remains found in North Korea

VFW Magazine, August, 2004 by Tim Dyhouse

The remains of what are believed to be 20 U.S. MIAs from the Korean War were repatriated in May and July at Yongsan Military Compound in Seoul.

A joint U.S.-North Korean team found 12 sets of remains in May and one in June near the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea. They are thought to be those of U.S. Army 7th Infantry Division soldiers lost in November or December 1950.

Another team recovered seven sets of remains in Unsan County, about 60 miles north of Pyongyang. The Army's 1st Cavalry and 25th Infantry divisions fought in the area in November 1950.

The recovery teams included 28 Americans from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii, where the remains were sent for identification. Since 1996, 29 operations have recovered more than 200 sets of remains with 15 positively identified as Americans. More than 8,100 GIs are still unaccounted for from the Korean War.

The repatriations were the first across the demilitarized zone since 1999. For more information on POW/MIA recoveries access www.dtic.mil/dpmo.>

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