Korean War Remains: Images Capture Journey Home

Korean War Remains The Long Journey Home

The presumed remains of 55 of our soldiers are now on American soil

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The journey begins

The first step in the final journey home for the presumed remains of 55 soldiers lost in the Korean War began when they were returned by North Korea to Osan Air Base in South Korea this week. The war ended in 1953, but about 7,700 U.S. troops remain missing and unaccounted for after serving in that conflict. About 5,300 of those troops are thought to have been killed in what is now North Korea. of

Paying respect

At a ceremony at Osan Air Base, U.S. military personnel salute the remains before they are placed on an Air Force transport plane for the flight home. The metal cases are covered with the blue United Nations flag, reflecting the fact that the U.S., South Korea and 15 other countries fought under that flag during the Korean War. of

Back to the U S

Nearly 37,000 Americans died for their country in the Korean War, a conflict called the Forgotten War because it is often overshadowed by World War II and the Vietnam War. Military personnel carry the cases of remains onto a C-17 for the flight to Hawaii. of

A somber return

Returned to American soil, the cases are draped in the U.S. flag and carried by members of all branches of the U.S. military to a ceremony at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Honolulu. A painstaking process of analysis and identification of the remains will begin. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has said it is not certain that all of the remains are of U.S. soldiers. of

Americans salute 

Those in attendance at a repatriation ceremony at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam stand for the national anthem. The return of the remains comes after talks between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in June. of

A tearful time

The guns fell silent 65 years ago, but the war lives on in the hearts of family members still waiting for those who are missing. Diana Brown Sanfilippo and Rick Downes are two of those family members. Their fathers, 1st Lt. Frank Salazar, and 1st Lt. Hal Downes, respectively, served in the war and were never found. of

Our boys are coming home

Speaking at the ceremony in Hawaii, Vice President Mike Pence reminded Americans, “Some have called the Korean War ‘the Forgotten War.’ Today we prove these heroes were never forgotten. Today our boys are coming home.” Read more:

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