Remains of two U.S. soldiers are brought back to home country

U.S. media CNN featured a story on Wednesday (local time) about Army Cpl. Jerry M. Garrison and Sgt. Gerald B. Raeymacker whose remains returned to their home country 69 years after the two were killed during the Korean War. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency within the U.S. Department of Defense released on Tuesday the pictures and ranks of the five soldiers whose identities were confirmed among the remains of the American soldiers in 55 boxes brought from North Korea in July last year. Garrison and Raeymacker were among the five.

The two went missing during the Battle of Jangjin Lake, which took place from November 26 to December 11, 1950, in Jangjin County, South Hamgyong Province, North Korea. The United Nations forces led by the U.S. military and China's Communist army fought in harsh conditions. The UN troops pulled out to Hungnam after a defeat.

Army Cpl. Garrison, a 21-year-old from Arkansas, disappeared on December 2, 1950. It is believed that he was attacked during the evacuation of his unit. His younger sister, Alice, who was 16 when he passed away is now 85 years old. “My brother was a kind person who liked riding a horse instead of a car,” said Alice during an interview with CNN. “I am proud of him coming back home. I hadn’t wished that he would come in remains but it’s better than nothing.”

Sgt. Raeymacker, also a 21-year-old from Dunkirk, New York, was heavily injured during a battle against the Chinse troops on December 6, 1950. A fellow soldier hid him under hay but his location has not been found since then, which led to the recent confirmation of his death. “My father always missed my uncle and wondered what had happened,” said Raeymacker’s nephew. The sergeant will be laid next to his mother in his home town.


jyr0101@donga.com