Korean War Soldier Identified – He Will Be Returned To The USA To Be Buried With Full Military Honors

Pfc. Kenneth R. Miller (Korean war).
Pfc. Kenneth R. Miller (Korean war).

Amy Pfc. Kenneth R. Miller, from East Cleveland, Ohio, was 23 when he was reported missing in action during the Korean War.

Company K, 3rd Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division was forced to withdraw while fighting the Chinese Communist Forces (CCF). Miller was reported missing after the withdrawal.

The Army Graves Registration Service made an attempt to account for all of the losses experienced in the battle but could not locate Miller.

Americans who were repatriated after being held as prisoners of war at POW Camp 1, Changsong, North Korea, reported that Miller died there in September of 1951. The US Army declared Miller deceased as of September 22, 1951.

In 1954, the United Nations and communist forces participated in an exchange of remains in a project known as “Operation Glory.” All of the remains received by the US were given to the Army’s Central Identification Unit to be analyzed. Any remains that they could not identify were buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the Punchbowl.

In 1999, the Department of Defense began reviewing records and determining which remains had potential to be identified based on improvements in technology available to analyze the remains. On August 20, 2015, some remains were exhumed for further analysis.

Using anthropological, dental, chest radiograph comparison analysis, mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis (which matched an uncle and a cousin), circumstantial and material evidence, the DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System were able to identify Miller’s remains.

Miller’s remains will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency reported.

Currently, there are 7,754 Americans still unaccounted for from the Korean War. Identifications continue to be made from remains that were turned over by North Korean authorities or recovered by US teams.

Ian Harvey

Ian Harvey is one of the authors writing for WAR HISTORY ONLINE