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 (Alvarez)

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 Cpl. Armando Alvarez, 20, of El Paso, Texas, will be buried Sept. 27, in hishometown. In late 1950, Alvarez and elements of the 31st Regimental Combat Team (RCT),were advancing along the eastern side of the Chosin Reservoir, in North Korea. From Nov. 27 toDec. 1, 1950, the Chinese People’s Volunteer Forces (CPVF) encircled and attempted to overrunthe U.S. position. As the battle continued, the 31st RCT, known historically as Task Force Faith,began a fighting withdrawal to a more defensible position. Following the battle, Alvarez wasreported missing on Dec. 2, 1950.

In Sept. 2004 a joint U.S. and Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea (D.P.R.K.)team surveyed and excavated a field south of the P’ungnyuri inlet of the Chosin Reservoir, nearthe area where Alvarez was last seen, recovering human remains.

To identify Alvarez’s remains, 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 comparison and mitochondrial DNA –which matched Alvarez’s sister.

Today, more than 7,900 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. Usingmodern technology, identifications continue to be made from remains that were previously turnedover by North Korean officials or recovered from North Korea by American teams.

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) 699-1127.

**                    SHARE                

**                    PRINT