An official website of the United States government         Here's how you know         
**Official websites use .mil**
A **.mil** website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
**Secure .mil websites use HTTPS**
 A **lock (lock )** or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Skip to main content (Press Enter).

Defense POW/MIA Accounting AgencyFulfilling Our Nation's Promise

Search
Search

Search

              - 
              - 
              - 

-  Home		 
-  Families		 
-  Our Missing    -  Searchable List of the Missing             
  -  Searchable Map of the Missing             
  -  Recently Accounted For             
  -  World War II      -  World War II Summary             
    -  Battle of Tarawa             
    -  Attack on Pearl Harbor 
  -  Korean War      -  Korean War Summary             
    -  Battle of Chosin Reservoir             
    -  Battle of Unsan             
    -  Korean Air Battles             
    -  The Inchon Campaign             
    -  The Pusan Perimeter             
    -  The DMZ Campaigns             
    -  Korean War Disinterments             
    -  Operation Glory             
    -  POW Camps 
  -  Vietnam War      -  Vietnam War Summary             
    -  Vietnam War Identification Project             
    -  Tet Offensive             
    -  Battle of Khe Sanh             
    -  Mayaguez Incident             
    -  Battle of Ia Drang             
    -  Lam Son 
  -  Cold War             
  -  Gulf Wars & Libya             
  -  Unknowns 
-  News & Stories    -  Our Stories             
  -  Press Releases             
  -  DPAA In The News             
  -  Year In Review 
-  Multimedia    -  Livestreams             
  -  Podcast             
  -  Briefing Videos             
  -  Science Videos             
  -  DPAA Laboratory             
  -  Media Gallery 
-  Resources    -  FAQs             
  -  AFMES DNA Laboratory             
  -  Publicly Released Documents             
  -  Family/VSO Update Notes             
  -  Family Member Guide             
  -  POW/MIA Day Toolkit             
  -  USRJC 
-  About    -  Leadership             
  -  Vision-Mission-Values             
  -  DPAA Organizational Chart 
-  Contact    -  Contact Us             
  -  Join Us      -  Careers 
  -  Report a Site             
  -  Donate to the Mission 
-  Volunteer		 

## News Release

# Soldier Missing From Korean War Identified (Blevins)

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

Army Pfc. Herene K. Blevins, 18, of Hagerstown, Md., will be buried Aug. 27, in hishometown. In late November 1950 Blevins and elements of the 31st Regimental Combat Team(RCT) were deployed along the east side of the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea when they cameunder attack by Communist forces. The 31st RCT began a fighting withdrawal to a moredefensible position near Hagaru-ri, south of the reservoir. Following the battle, Blevins wasreported missing on Dec. 2, 1950.

In 1953, returning U.S. prisoners of war told debriefers that Blevins had been captured byenemy forces and taken to a prisoner of war camp known as “Death Valley.” Soldiers also statedthat Blevins died from malnutrition shortly after being captured. His remains were not amongthose returned by communist forces in 1954.

Between 1991 and 1994, North Korea gave the United States 208 boxes of remainsbelieved to contain the remains of 200-400 U.S. service members. North Korean documents,turned over with some of the boxes, indicated that some of the human remains were recoveredfrom the area where Blevins was last seen.

In the identification of Blevins, scientists from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command(JPAC) and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL) used circumstantialevidence, and forensic identification tools such as dental comparisons and mitochondrial DNA –which matched Blevins’ brother.

Using modern technology, identifications continue to be made from remains that werepreviously turned over by North Korean officials. More than 7,900 American service membersare unaccounted-for from the Korean War.

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.

**                    SHARE                

**                    PRINT