NORFOLK, Va. — Author's note: The video above is on file from May 22, 2020.
A Virginia soldier who was missing in action in the Korean War was accounted for last year, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced.
In a Wednesday afternoon press release, the DPAA said the remains of Army Cpl. Roy H. Thomas were identified on Dec. 22, 2020.
He was from St. Charles, Virginia, which is located near the state line with Kentucky. His family was recently briefed on the confirmation.
Thomas, a member of Company M, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, was reported missing in action on Dec. 12, 1950. He was 22 years old at the time.
According to the DPAA, his unit was attacked by enemy forces as they tried to withdraw near the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea. Following the battle, his remains couldn't be recovered.
After the summit of U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korea Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un in June 2018, North Korea turned over 55 boxes purported to have the remains of American service members that lost their lives in the Korean War.
On Aug. 1, 2018, the remains arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and were given to the DPAA to be identified. They used several methods to identify Thomas's body.
His name is listed at the Courts of the Missing, which is at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. A rosette is going to be placed next to his name to show he has been accounted for.
Thomas will be buried in Woodway, Virginia. The date hasn't been set yet.
Author's note: The video above is on file from May 12, 2017.