Additional Identification of Two US Military Remains from the 6·25 War Confirmed

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) under the U.S. Department of Defense announced on the 25th that it recently identified the remains of U.S. Army Sergeant Elwood Truslow and Private Raymond Smith, who were killed in action during the Korean War. Their remains were included in the 55 boxes handed over by North Korea to the United States following the first North Korea-U.S. summit in 2018.
[Photo by Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA)]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The identities of two additional remains from the Korean War, handed over by North Korea to the United States in 2018, have been confirmed.

According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) under the U.S. Department of Defense on the 25th, the identities finally confirmed through DNA analysis are those of Sergeant Elwood Truslow of the U.S. Army and Private Raymond Smith.

Sergeant Truslow belonged to the 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army and was reported missing at the age of 20 during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in December 1950, with his remains not found until now. Private Smith, aged 18 at the time and assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment of the same division, was also reported missing while his unit was attacked and retreating during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir.

Sergeant Truslow’s remains will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, and Private Smith’s remains will be buried in Brooklyn, New York.

Both North Korea and the United States agreed to excavate and repatriate U.S. military remains missing or killed in action in North Korean territory during the Korean War at the first summit held in Singapore in June 2018. Accordingly, North Korea sent 55 boxes containing remains of U.S. soldiers and others, which had already been excavated and stored, to the U.S. in August last year. The U.S. government has identified 76 of these remains, while 97 remain unidentified.

However, the excavation and repatriation of U.S. military remains have currently been suspended as dialogue between North Korea and the U.S. has stalled following the breakdown of the second North Korea-U.S. summit held in Hanoi, Vietnam, in February this year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.