Ranger Missing in Action from Korean War is Identified
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Korean War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
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He is Ranger Cpl. Librado Luna, U.S. Army, of Taylor, Texas.*He will be buried on Nov. 25 in Taylor.
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Representatives from the Army's Mortuary Office met with Luna’s next-of-kin to explain the recovery and identification process, and to coordinate interment with military honors on behalf of the Secretary of the Army.
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In late November 1950, Luna was assigned to the 8th Army Ranger Company, 25th Infantry Division, then attached to B Company, 89th Medium Tank Battalion as part of Task Force Dolvin.*The 8th Army Ranger Company was deployed on Hill 205 in Kujang County along the leading edge of the U.S. position.*On November 25, the Chinese Army struck in force in what would become known as the Battle of the Ch’ongch’on River.*Task Force Dolvin, including the 8th Army Ranger Company, was forced to withdraw to the south.*Of the 91 men from B Company, 89th Medium Tank Battalion and the 8th Army Ranger Company, only 22 made it to safety.*Ten men, including Luna, went missing on November 26 near Hill 205.*
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In 1998, a joint U.S.-Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea (D.P.R.K.) team, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), excavated a burial site in Kujang County where a girl had uncovered possible American remains on a hill near her school.*The site correlates with the area where members of the 8th Army Ranger Company fought as part of Task Force Dolvin.*The team recovered human remains and non-biological material evidence.
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Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA in the identification of Luna’s remains.
Link:
http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=12360
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Korean War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
*
He is Ranger Cpl. Librado Luna, U.S. Army, of Taylor, Texas.*He will be buried on Nov. 25 in Taylor.
*
Representatives from the Army's Mortuary Office met with Luna’s next-of-kin 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, Luna was assigned to the 8th Army Ranger Company, 25th Infantry Division, then attached to B Company, 89th Medium Tank Battalion as part of Task Force Dolvin.*The 8th Army Ranger Company was deployed on Hill 205 in Kujang County along the leading edge of the U.S. position.*On November 25, the Chinese Army struck in force in what would become known as the Battle of the Ch’ongch’on River.*Task Force Dolvin, including the 8th Army Ranger Company, was forced to withdraw to the south.*Of the 91 men from B Company, 89th Medium Tank Battalion and the 8th Army Ranger Company, only 22 made it to safety.*Ten men, including Luna, went missing on November 26 near Hill 205.*
*
In 1998, a joint U.S.-Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea (D.P.R.K.) team, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), excavated a burial site in Kujang County where a girl had uncovered possible American remains on a hill near her school.*The site correlates with the area where members of the 8th Army Ranger Company fought as part of Task Force Dolvin.*The team recovered human remains and non-biological material evidence.
*
Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA in the identification of Luna’s remains.
Link:
http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=12360
