WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Army Cpl. Billie C. Driver, 18, of Dallas, Texas, killed in action during the Korean War, was accounted for Sept. 9, 2024.
Driver's family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In September 1950, Driver was assigned to E Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, Eighth U.S. Army Korea. He was killed in action when his unit engaged in combat actions with the North Korean People’s Army in the vicinity of Kumbwa-dong, Republic of Korea, on Sept. 5. Due to intense fighting in the area, his body could not be recovered at that time. The exact circumstances of his death were unknown.
On Oct. 30, 1950, Unknown Remains X-96 Taegu #2 (X-96) was recovered near the village of Namwon-dong, along with nine other sets of remains. Two sets of remains were initially identified by American Graves Registration Service personnel, and later another six were identified. The two remaining sets could not be identified, and they were subsequently buried as Korean War Unknowns in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
On April 15, 2019, DPAA personnel disinterred Unknown X-96 and sent the remains to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
To identify those remains as Driver’s, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as other circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial genome DNA sequencing analysis.
Driver’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are still missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Driver will be buried in Dallas, Texas on a date yet to be determined.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
To see the most up-to-date statistics on DPAA recovery efforts for those unaccounted for from the Korean War, go to the Korean War Accounting page on the DPAA website at: https://dpaa-mil.sites.crmforce.mil/dpaaFamWebKorean.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving their country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil or on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa, https://www.linkedin.com/company/dodpaa, https://www.instagram.com/dodpaa/, or https://x.com/dodpaa.
Read Driver's initial ID announcement here: Driver.