United States Navy Ensign Robert Warren Langwell, of Columbus, Indiana was declared missing in action during the Korean War. His body was recovered in 2008 by the Republic of Korea's Ministry of National Defense Agency for Killed in Action Recovery and Identification (MAKRI) who which sent them to Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) for analysis.[1] Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, JPAC scientists used dental comparisons in the identification of Langwell's remains which are to be buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery on July 12, 2010.[2]
Robert Warren Langwell | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 30, 1924 |
| Disappeared | October 1, 1950 Chusan Po, Korea |
| Body discovered | April 28, 2009 |
| Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery 38°52′37″N 77°04′15″W / 38.8769°N 77.0708°W (approximate) |
| Relatives | Arthur James Langwell Edna Irene Parker Langwell |
Disappearance and aftermath
editOn October 1, 1950, Langwell was serving on the minesweeper USS Magpie (AMS-25) when it struck an enemy mine off the coast of Chuksan-ri, South Korea. While twelve crew members of Magpie were rescued, Langwell was one of 20 others lost at sea.[3]
Personnel from MAKRI canvassed towns in South Korea in an effort to gather information regarding South Korean soldiers who remain unaccounted-for from the Korean War. An elderly fisherman in the village of Chuksan-ri reported that he and other villagers buried an American service man in 1950 when his body was caught in the man's fishing net. MAKRI personnel located the burial site April 28, 2009, where they excavated human remains and military artifacts. The burial site was approximately three miles west of where Magpie sank in 1950.[1]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Sailor Missing From Korean War Identified" Archived 2011-06-29 at the Wayback Machine The U.S. Navy. N.p., 29 June 2010. Web. 2 July 2010.
- ^ Longnecker, Emily. "Columbus serviceman returns home 60 years later" Archived 2011-06-29 at the Wayback Machine, 13 WTHR. WTHR, 30 June 2010. Web. 2 July 2010.
- ^ "USS Magpie Casualty List", Korean War Educator. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 July 2010.
  | This biographical article related to the United States military is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |