Soldiers Missing in Action from the Korean War are Identified

DOD ^ | 7/19/2007 | DOD

[Dubya]

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of three U.S. servicemen, missing in action from the Korean War, have been identified and will be returned to their families for burial with full military honors.

They are Sgt. Donald C. Trent, of Crab Orchard, W. Va.; Cpl. Robert K. Imrie, of Randolph, Mass.; and Cpl. Samuel Wirrick of Lancaster, Pa.; all U.S. Army. Imrie will be buried Monday at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C.; and Trent and Wirrick will be buried at Arlington in October.

Representatives from the Army met with the next-of-kin of these men in their hometowns to explain the recovery and identification process and to coordinate interment with military honors on behalf of the Secretary of the Army.

In late November 1950, these soldiers were members of the 2nd Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, then operating south of the Chongchon River in North Korea. Their regiment’s positions came under heavy attack by Chinese forces and the 2nd Battalion was forced to withdraw to positions near the town of Kujang. On Nov. 27, Imrie was killed in action, and Trent and Wirrick were reported missing.

In 2000, a joint U.S.-Democratic People’s Republic of Korea-Korean People’s Army team, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), excavated a mass burial believed to contain the remains of U.S. soldiers who died near Kujang. The team found human remains, Wirrick’s identification tag and other material evidence associated with U.S. Army infantry equipment.

Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA and dental comparisons in the identification of the remains.

For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO Web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1420.

[Dubya]

Requesting prayer for the family and friends of Sgt. Donald C. Trent, of Crab Orchard, W. Va.

Requesting prayer for the family and friends of Cpl. Robert K. Imrie, of Randolph, Mass

Requesting prayer for the family and friends of Cpl. Samuel Wirrick of Lancaster, Pa

[Dubya]

Soldier rest, Gently pressed,
To the calm, Mother Earth's
Waiting breast;
Duty done, Like the sun:
Going West.

SEMPER FI SOLDERS
GOD BLESS YOU
AND WELCOME HOME

[SandRat]

no longer

To all their Family Members -

O God, whose fatherly care reaches to the uttermost parts of the earth: We humbly beseech you graciously to behold and bless those whom we love, now absent from us. Defend them from all dangers of soul and body, and grant that both they and we, drawing nearer to you, may be bound together by your love in the communion of your Holy Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

[Kathy in Alaska]

TAPS

RIP
Sgt Donald C Trent, Crab Orchard, WV
Cpl Robert K Imrie, Randolph, MA
Cpl Samuel Wirrick, Lancaster, PA

Amazing Grace

[Dubya]

Very nice post thank you.

[Dubya]

Nice post Kathy. I really like Amazing Grace on the bag pipes.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Most fitting for our fallen heroes.

[CDB]

In late November 1950, these soldiers were members of the 2nd Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, then operating south of the Chongchon River in North Korea. Their regiment’s positions came under heavy attack by Chinese forces and the 2nd Battalion was forced to withdraw to positions near the town of Kujang. On Nov. 27, Imrie was killed in action, and Trent and Wirrick were reported missing. RIP and God bless them all. They died in one of the bloodiest battles in US history. This battle was written up in SLA Marshall's "The River and the Gauntlet." The fighting was fierce: an acquaintance's father, who was the 38th Regiment's Command Sergeant Major at the time, was killed in that battle. Basically, the ENTIRE US Second Infantry Division withdrew down one road, while thousands of Chicoms fired at them from the high ground on both sides of the road. What was left of the 2nd ID withdrew all the way to Seoul--the longest US retreat EVER.

[nw_arizona_granny]

I am joining you in prayer.