Remains thought to be those of U.S.
Korean War soldiers arrive at Yokota
By Jennifer H. Svan, Tokyo bureau chief
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — The remains of what are believed to be three fallen U.S.
soldiers came home Tuesday, 50 years after they were left behind in the barren North
Korean soil.
Encased in three caskets draped in blue, their bones were carried from Pyongyang to
Yokota by an Air Force C-17, where respects were paid by dozens of troops and U.S.
veterans in a dimly lit hangar.
A joint U.S.-North Korean team worked earlier this month in Unsan and Kujang counties
along the Chong Chon River, about 60 miles north of Pyongyang, recovered the remains left
behind from the Korean War.
The 28-person team was composed primarily of specialists from the U.S. Army’s
Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii.
The dig site was the location of battles between Communist forces and the U.S.
Army’s 1st Cavalry Division, and 2nd and 25th Infantry Divisions in November 1950,
according to the Department of Defense’s POW/Missing Personnel Office.
From Yokota, the remains were airlifted to Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, for another
repatriation ceremony, after which forensic scientists at the Hawaii laboratory will
attempt to identify them.
The team has conducted 17 recovery operations in North Korea since 1996.
<CL10.3>The remains of 107 U.S. soldiers have been recovered so far, with eight
being positively identified and returned to their families for burial with full military
honors.
Another 10 are nearing the final stages of the forensic identification process.
The dig team planned 10 recovery operations for this year. Eight will be in the areas
of Unsan, Kaechon and Kujang.
Later in the year, teams will conduct two additional operations on the east and west
sides of the Chosin Reservoir in the northeast portion of North Korea.
Korean War analysts believe that as many as 750 U.S. soldiers and Marines may have been
lost during battles in November and December 1950 near Chosin.
Recovery operations in North Korea can be challenging.
The initial digging is often arduous because of rocky terrain, according to the central
identification laboratory.
Cultural issues also must be considered during a dig.
In most cases, communication is channeled through an interpreter, and then only between
the highest-ranking U.S. official and the highest-ranking Korean People’s Army
official on scene.
Of the 88,000 U.S. servicemembers missing in action from all conflicts, more than 8,100
are from the Korean War.
[RECIPETAG]<HRBLACKRULE,0,0.3,-2,100>E-mail Jennifer Svan at:<QA0>
<CF61>svanj@pstripes.osd.mil
Back to May stories
Page Two news roundup
Stories from April, 2001
Stories from March, 2001
Stories from February,2001
Stories from January, 2001
Stories from December, 2000
Stories from November, 2000
Stories from October, 2000
Stories from August and September, 2000
Stories from June and July, 2000
Home |
