Rep. Jenkins: U.S.-N.K. Deal May Help Bring WV Heroes Home

Statement

U.S. Representative Evan Jenkins (R-W.Va.) is encouraged that the remains of Americans missing in action since the Korean War may be returning home thanks to this week's historic United States-North Korea summit.

The agreement signed by President Trump and Kim Jong Un commits "to recovering POW/MIA remains, including the immediate repatriation of those already identified."

Since the end of the Korean War, the remains of only 14 West Virginia MIA heroes have been brought back home. According to the Defense Department, 164 West Virginians remain unaccounted for in the Korean War.

"This agreement will help bring closure to generations of families who never had the chance to say goodbye. For more than 60 years, these families have been waiting to lay their loved ones to rest here in the Mountain State and give them the full military honors and respectful burial they are due.

"I have reached out to the State Department, the Department of Defense and our state's veterans service organizations to offer any assistance I can give in repatriating these brave men and providing closure to their families. These heroes laid down their lives in service to our nation, and we cannot leave a single man or woman behind," Rep. Jenkins said.

As of December 2017, 164 West Virginians are missing in action in Korea, according to the DoD. For a list of these heroes, please visit http://www.dpaa.mil/portals/85/Documents/KoreaAccounting/pmkor_una_wv.pdf.

Prior to the agreement, the remains of fourteen West Virginians who were accounted for had already been identified and brought home, according to the DoD. For a list of those heroes who have returned home, please visit http://www.dpaa.mil/portals/85/Documents/KoreaAccounting/pmkor_acc_wv.pdf.

Source