After 65 years of waiting, the remains of a formerly missing U.S. soldier have been returned to his family in California, after he was reported to have died from malnutrition, the Long Beach Press-Telegram reported.
The remains of Army Cpl. Robert V. Witt, a 20-year-old Bellflower native missing since the Korean War, were returned last week to his sister Laverne Minnick, 82, his last surviving family member, after they were identified in September.
"I am so happy. He's going to be home, where he belongs, with his family," Minnick said.
Witt will be buried with full military honors at Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier on Friday, according to the Associated Press.
Witt was assigned to 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 31st Regimental Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division known as Task Force Faith in late Nov. 1950, the Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said in a statement.
Witt was reported missing in action on Dec. 2, 1950, following the remnants of the 31st Regimental Combat Team's attempt to reposition themselves south of North Korea's Chosin Reservoir after they were attacked by Chinese forces during the battle there the day before, the statement said.
During prisoner of war exchanges, known as Operation Little Switch and Operation Big Switch, in 1953, repatriated U.S. soldiers told officials that Witt had been captured during the battle and died from malnutrition. Officials believe he died Jan. 31, 1951.
