A U.S. Army soldier killed in the Korean War is finally home after being identified through DNA testing.
Nineteen-year-old Sgt. Celestino Chavez Jr. had been considered missing in action since 1953.
After he was positively identified last year, he was buried this week in his hometown of Gallup, New Mexico.
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Chavez’s remains were discovered among 55 boxes of remains handed over to the United States by North Korea following a summit with President Donald Trump in 2018.
"He was wounded while defending his position near the Jangjin (Chosin) Reservoir, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and evacuated to an aid station on Nov. 30," the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said. "He was reported missing in action on Dec. 2, when his convoy was ambushed by opposing forces in route to Hagaru-ri. The U.S. Army did not receive any indication that he was ever held as a prisoner of war and with no evidence of his continued survival, issued a presumptive finding of death on Dec. 31, 1953. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for continuing to man his position despite his wounds during the Nov. 30 attack."
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