The remains of a 17-year-old Michigan soldier killed in the 1950 Korean War have been identified and will be buried in his home state, military officials said.
The remains of U.S. Army Pfc. Thomas A. Smith were identified in September by military scientists who analyzed DNA, dental and anthropological evidence, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced Tuesday.
Smith, a native of Grant, Michigan, will be buried in the western Michigan city at a date not yet set, authorities said.
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According to the DPAA, Mr. Smith was 17 years old when he was reported missing on August 2, 1950, while his unit was participating in a “defensive operation near Jinju on the southern tip of the Korean peninsula.” His body was never recovered, and the Army announced his presumption of death in late 1953.
A 17-year-old Michigan resident killed in action during the Korean War has been identified and will be buried in his home city.
Remains recently identified as Smith’s were recovered by a U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps near the village of Hwagye in South Korea in late 1950, but the identity could not be determined. In 1956, they were buried along with other unidentified service members killed in the Korean War at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, known as the Punchbowl.
In March 2019, Smith’s body was dismembered and sent to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
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A rosette will be placed next to Smith’s name at the Punchbowl Missing Persons Court to show that he has been accounted for.
