WASHINGTON — The Pentagon announced plans to exhume and identify the Korean War remains interred in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, a move that will open the hallowed monument for the first time in decades.
The remains, designated as the Korean War Unknown, were interred in the tomb in 1958. The exhumation is part of an ongoing effort by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) to identify unknown service members from past conflicts using modern forensic techniques, including DNA analysis.
Officials said the decision follows years of advances in forensic science that may now allow for identification. The exact date of the exhumation has not been announced.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier also holds remains from World War I and World War II, which will not be disturbed. The Korean War Unknown was selected for exhumation because of the likelihood of successful identification, according to the report.
In related news, the Army has announced the identification and burial of several other service members lost in past conflicts:
- Army Pfc. Howard G. Krapf, missing from World War II, will be interred Sept. 21 at Fairview Cemetery in Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania. Krapf was killed by enemy machine gun fire on Nov. 8, 1944, during the Battle of the Hürtgen Forest. His remains were found in April 1948 by a German demining team.
- Army Cpl. Richard N. Lennox, 18, will be interred Sept. 19 at Lakeside Memorial Cemetery in Holly, Michigan. Lennox was captured in November 1950 and died in late October 1951 at Prisoner of War Camp 1 in Changsong, North Korea. His remains, designated Unknown X-14257, were disinterred on June 13, 2016, by DPAA personnel.
- Army Technician Fifth Grade Robert W. Hirst, 22, will be interred Sept. 24 at Kentucky Veterans Central Cemetery in Radcliff, Kentucky. Hirst died of malaria on July 5, 1942, at Cabanatuan Prison Camp in the Philippines, after surviving the Bataan Death March.
The Pentagon’s decision to exhume the Korean War Unknown reflects a stated commitment to identify all unaccounted-for service members from past conflicts, according to officials.
Sources: DVIDS News · DVIDS News