Burial set for Korean War Soldier “unknown” for seven decades

FORT KNOX, KY, UNITED STATES

08.13.2019

Story by William Costello 

U.S. Army Human Resources Command

A burial service is set for a U.S. Army soldier who died during the Korean War. The identity of his remains were unknown for nearly 70 years.

Army Cpl. William S. Smith, 19, a native of Vidalia, Georgia, will be buried with full military honors on Saturday, in Pinecrest Cemetery, in his hometown.

Smith was a member of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, when he was reported missing in action on Sept. 1, 1950 after an enemy assault near Yongsan, South Korea. The Department of the Army declared him deceased as of Dec, 31, 1953.

His unidentified remains were initially buried at United Nations Military Cemetery Miryang, South Korea and later transferred to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP,) known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu where they were interred as Unknown until October 30, 2017.

Smith was positively identified on June 4, 2019.

To positively identify Smith’s remains, scientists from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.

For more information about this service, contact Ronald V. Hall Funeral Home, Vidalia, GA, 912-537-7877.

• Date Taken: 08.13.2019
• Date Posted: 08.13.2019 08:46
• Story ID: 335631
• Location: FORT KNOX, KY, US
• Hometown: VIDALIA, GA, US