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Defense POW/MIA Accounting AgencyFulfilling Our Nation's Promise

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## News Release

# Soldier Missing From Korean War Identified (Stai)

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced todaythat the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Korean War, have beenidentified and returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Army Capt. Melvin R. Stai, 33, of Spokane, Wash., will be buried on July 9 in hishometown. After the 1953 armistice, it was learned from surviving POWs that he had beencaptured in January 1951, marched north to a POW camp in Suan County, North Korea, and diedwhile in captivity when allies attacked the camp in April 1951.

Between 1991-94, North Korea gave the United States 208 boxes of remains believed tocontain the remains of 200-400 U.S. servicemen. North Korean documents turned over with oneof the boxes indicated that the remains, contained in the box, were exhumed near Suan County.This location correlates with the Stai’s last known location.

Analysts from DPMO developed leads in Stai’s case with information spanning more than58 years. Through interviews with surviving POW eyewitnesses, experts validated circumstancessurrounding the soldier’s captivity and death, confirming wartime documentation of his loss.

Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from theJoint POW/MIA Accounting Command and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratoryalso used dental comparisons and mitochondrial DNA – which matched that of his sister – toidentify of Stai’s remains.

More than 2,000 servicemen died as prisoners of war during the Korean War. With thisaccounting, 7,990 servicemembers still remain missing from the conflict.

For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for missingAmericans, visit the DPMO web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.

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