{"id":2169,"date":"2018-03-28T16:37:30","date_gmt":"2018-03-28T07:37:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nedforney.com\/?p=2169"},"modified":"2018-03-29T08:14:59","modified_gmt":"2018-03-28T23:14:59","slug":"mia-korean-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nedforney.com\/index.php\/2018\/03\/28\/mia-korean-war\/","title":{"rendered":"He Had His Whole Life in Front of Him"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"James<\/p>\n

Their stories are heartbreaking. For decades, thousands of families – over 7,800 from America and 100,000 from Korea – have wondered how and when their son, husband, brother, or uncle died during the Korean War. They\u2019ve spent a lifetime hoping their loved one would return. But there has been only silence. No letters. No calls. No military officials knocking at the door.<\/p>\n

Coming Home<\/strong><\/h2>\n

With improvements in DNA testing, however, things have changed. Over the past ten years, thousands of American and Korean men killed during the three-year conflict and listed as Missing In Action (MIA) have been found, identified, and returned to their loved ones.<\/p>\n

Last year I visited the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History and toured an exhibit<\/a>\u00a0that explained how servicemen from the Korean War are recovered and identified. It was a sobering afternoon. As I quickly discovered, searching and digging for human remains is a painstaking and meticulous job.<\/p>\n

Once the backbreaking work is completed and a bone or tooth is found, the scientists step in. The remains are tagged, cleaned, analyzed with 3-D scanners, and tested for DNA. It\u2019s a time-consuming and costly process, but as MIA families can verify, well worth it. The ROK and US governments are determined to find, identify, and return all the missing bodies. With thousands still unaccounted for from both countries, however, they have a long way to go. But they\u2019re making progress.<\/p>\n

We now frequently read stories of teary-eyed sons and daughters, sisters and brothers, and family members welcoming home their long-lost relative. They\u2019ve waited a lifetime to do what most of us have always taken for granted: bury their loved one, visit a gravesite, put flowers around a tombstone, and talk proudly about the deceased person\u2019s life. For many MIA families, unfortunately, these important rituals never happen.<\/p>\n

But when they do, I notice that these families seem proud, grateful, and at peace. There’s rarely bitterness or anger. Instead, they\u2019re genuinely thankful for the dedicated employees and volunteers of government agencies, non-profit organizations, and religious institutions who have helped bring a sense of closure to a painful, seemingly endless chapter of their lives.<\/p>\n

So many people have made it a priority to see that every<\/em> serviceman is remembered. As Chuck Pritchard, a spokesman for the US POW\/MIA Accounting Agency<\/a>, puts it, \u201cAs a nation, we hold the belief that no American should go forgotten.\u201d<\/p>\n

We\u2019re Proud and We\u2019re Sad<\/strong><\/h2>\n

After reading the poignant stories of men who fought and died during the Korean War and have finally come home, I\u2019m reminded that it\u2019s their remains, usually teeth, bones, sometimes a wedding band, class ring, or dog tag, that are returned. Nothing else is left. Buried in shallow graves or only covered in thin layers of debris, their bodies decomposed quickly, just months, maybe a year, after they died.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m also reminded that in many cases their parents and siblings have all passed away. For many parents and wives who suffered a lifetime of grief and pain not knowing what happened to a loved one, the good news never came or it came too late.<\/p>\n

Last week I read a moving story<\/a> about US Army Private First Class James J. Leonard, Jr., of the 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. He graduated from San Francisco’s Polytechnic High School in 1946, where he’d been runner on the track team and a trumpeter in the school’s band. He died fighting in Korea in July 1950.<\/p>\n

His remains were returned to his family two months ago after a Korean road construction crew found his teeth, a helmet, and boot. Only one family member who knew PFC Leonard, his 92-year old cousin, James Hart, was there for the homecoming. His parents and only sibling have been dead for years. \u201cHe was only 22 years old,\u201d Mr. Hart<\/a> said about his cousin. \u201cHe had his whole life ahead of him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tragically, PFC Leonard\u2019s story is not unique. Thousands of men and their families have suffered the same fate. When we think about war we all too often forget about the parents, wives, and children who said good-bye to a loved one and never saw them again, never even knew how they died or if they were buried. What these families have endured is unimaginable to most of us.<\/p>\n

As we hear and read about MIA\u2019s being found and returned to their families, let us hope that when our servicemen and women are put in harm’s way, they will never have the three letters, M\u200a\u2014\u200aI\u200a\u2014\u200aA, attached to their names.<\/p>\n


\n\"1st
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\n1st Cavalry Division lands in Korea at Pohang July, 1950. PFC Leonard died days later. (Photo credit: US Army)
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\n\"James
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\nPFC James Leonard\u2019s remains return to San Fransisco on January 22, 2018. (Photo credit: mercurynews.com)
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\n\"James
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\nJames Hart, 92, welcomes his cousin home after over 67 years. Leonard\u2019s second cousin, Mike Hart, said of the event, \u201cWe\u2019re proud and we\u2019re sad.” (photo credit: mercurynews.com)
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\n\"Poster
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\nPoster for Bring Them Home exhibit at National Museum of Korean Contemporary History. (Photo credit: Ned Forney)
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\n\"Screenshot
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\nPOW\/MIA Accounting Agency website with the most comprehensive list of those Missing In Action.<\/p>\n

Top\/Featured picture<\/strong>:\u00a0James Leonard (standing, fourth from\u00a0left) in a Polytechnic High School yearbook photo, one of only three extant photos, all from the yearbook, that the family has. (Photo credit:\u00a0ktvu.com<\/a>)<\/p>\n