Korean War Missing in Action Identified

The United States Department of Defense Prisoner of War / Missing Personnel Office announced July 19^th that the remains of three U.S. Army soldiers listed as missing in action since the Korean War of 1950-1953 have been positively identified.

The soldiers were identified as Sergeant Donald C. Trent of Crab Orchard, West Virginia, Corporal Robert K. Imrie of Randolph, Massachusetts, and Corporal Samuel Wirrick of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. All three men were assigned to the 2^nd Battalion of the 38^th Infantry Regiment, 2^nd Infantry Division during November of 1950. After their unit retreated to an area near Kujang in response to an intense attack by Chinese military forces, Corporal Imrie was killed while Sergeant Trent and Corporal Wirrick were listed as missing in action. None of the bodies were recovered at the time of the battle. The combat action took place south of the Chongchon River in North Korea.

According to the official press release, Army representatives traveled to the soldiers' hometowns to explain to their families the processes involved in the recovery and identification of the remains, as well as to work out the details for their burial at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C. Representatives of the Joint Prisoner of War / Missing in Action Accounting Command (JPAC) and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used mitochondrial DNA, dental comparisons, various forensic identification tools, and circumstantial evidence to positively identify the soldiers' remains.

The Defense Department release stated that a joint effort between the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea-Korean People's Army in 2000 excavated a mass burial site containing the remains of the three missing soldiers, as well as Corporal Wirrick's identification tags and evidence of U.S. Army infantry equipment.

The soldiers' remains will be returned to their families and will be buried with full military honors. Corporal Imrie is scheduled to be buried at Arlington next week, while Sergeant Trent and Corporal Wirrick will be buried at Arlington in October.