WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army Pfc. James P. Shaw, 24, of Holmes, Florida, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for on Aug. 29, 2016.
In December 1950, Shaw was a member of Company G, 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, when enemy forces invaded the regiment’s positions and forced them to withdraw in North Korea. During the withdrawal, U.S. forces were under constant heavy enemy pressure and were hampered by icy roads and heavy equipment. Shaw was reported missing following an engagement which last through the night, on Dec. 3, 1950.
Several returning American prisoners of war reported that Shaw had been captured and died while in captivity. Based on this information, the U.S. Army declared him deceased on June 23, 1951.
In September 1954, a set of remains reportedly recovered from the prisoner of war cemetery at Camps 1 and 3, Changsong, North Korea, were sent to the Central Identification Unit for attempted identification. The remains were designated X-14239 and were declared unidentifiable. They were then transferred to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP,) known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu and were interred as Unknown.
After a thorough historical and scientific analysis, it was determined that X-14239 could likely be identified. After receiving approval, X-14239 was disinterred on June 13, 2016 and sent to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
To identify Shaw’s remains, scientists from DPAA used laboratory analysis, including dental, anthropological and chest radiograph comparison analysis, all which matched Shaw’s records; as well as circumstantial evidence.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership in this mission.
Today, 7,674 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. Using modern technology, identifications continue to be made from remains that were previously returned by North Korean officials or recovered from North Korea by American recovery teams. Shaw’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl along with others who are missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
For family contact information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
Shaw will be buried April 5, 2019, in Biloxi, Mississippi.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa or call (703) 699-1420.
Shaw’s personnel profile can be viewed at https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000011vPX1EAM