Cpl. Edward Smith
The remains of Army Cpl. Edward J. Smith, a Soldier killed during the Korean War, will be interred Aug. 23 at Bethlehem Memorial Park, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Stephens Funeral Home, Allentown, Pennsylvania, will perform graveside services preceding the interment.
A native Allentown, Smith was a member of Baker Company, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action Aug. 31, 1950, at age 18, while fighting North Korean forces in the vicinity of Changnyong, South Korea.
Smith was accounted for by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency May 15, 2024, after his remains were exhumed in June 2021 from the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu – also known as the Punchbowl – for laboratory analysis and identification.
The Past Conflict Repatriations Branch, under the Army Casualty and Mortuary Affairs Operations Division at U.S. Army Human Resources Command, Fort Knox, Kentucky, plays a key role in the process of locating Family members of missing Soldiers from World War II, the Korean and Vietnam wars.
The process begins with locating the Family member most closely related to the missing Soldier, known as the primary next of kin, followed by a request for Family reference samples or DNA, which are used as a main source in identifying remains.
Once a Soldier has been identified by the Armed Forces Medical Examiner, the PCRB notifies and briefs the Family about the results of historical, forensic and DNA reports, benefits and the mortuary process including burial with full military honors.
For additional information about Cpl. Smith, go to: https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/Press-Releases/PressReleaseArticleView/Article/3809126/soldier-accounted-for-from-korean-war-smith-e/
