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Korean War veteran Army Pfc. Louis N. Crosby.

Korean War veteran Army Pfc. Louis N. Crosby. (dpaa.mil)

(Tribune News Service) — The remains of a Korean War veteran from Orangeburg will return to his hometown on Saturday.

Army Pfc. Louis N. Crosby, 18, was a member of Company A, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division.

He was reported missing in action on Dec. 1, 1950, after his unit was attacked by enemy forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea.

Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered.

On July 27, 2018, following a summit between then- U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un, North Korea turned over 55 boxes that had been purported to contain the remains of American service members killed during the Korean War.

The remains arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, on Aug. 1, 2018, and were then sent to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency laboratory for identification.

The agency announced on July 8 that Louis Crosby’s remains were accounted for on April 21, 2020.

A graveside service with full military honors is scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 18, which would have been the soldier’s 89th birthday.

The soldier will be buried in Crestlawn Cemetery next to his parents. Thompson Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Bill Jackson, manager of Thompson Funeral Home, said Crosby’s remains will be picked up at 9:58 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 14, at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, N.C.

They will be met by the N.C. Patriotic Guard Riders at the airport.

“They will take us to the Interstate 77 rest area, where they’ll hand us off to the S.C. Patriot Guard Riders. They’ll be escorting us back to the funeral home. The motorcycle groups are all veterans, and this is what they do and want to do,” Jackson said.

Jackson said the route back home will begin from Interstate 77 to Interstate 26 before heading off at Exit 145, which leads to U.S. Highway 601 in Orangeburg. They will then hit U.S. Highway 301 and proceed to the funeral home at 1012 Whitman St SE in Orangeburg.

He said Crosby’s memorial service will include singing, an airplane flyover and a presentation of his awards and medals.

“This is a big thing for the state of South Carolina,” Jackson said.

Scientists from the DPAA used anthropological analysis and circumstantial evidence to identify Crosby’s remains. Scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System also used mitochondrial DNA analysis.

Orangeburg resident Mac Crosby has said his 92-year-old father, Henry M. Crosby Sr., is especially looking forward to having the remains of his youngest brother arrive home.

DNA was taken from the 92-year-old and placed on file to eventually be used to identify his brother’s remains.

“They took his DNA a few years back so they would have that on file. Then when they brought the remains over, they did identify him as one of them,” Crosby has said.

The soldier’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with the others who are still missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Jackson said he is proud to be able to handle the arrangements for the special service.

“It is just an honor for us to be able to serve his family. It’s something that doesn’t happen every day,” he said.

Crosby has said, “We’ve got the full military ceremony coming ( Aug. 18) with the 21-gun salute, folding of the flag, pallbearers and all that good stuff. We would like for the community to know that he’s coming home.”

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(c)2021 The Times and Democrat (Orangeburg, S.C.) Visit The Times and Democrat at thetandd.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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