WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Army Cpl. Earl E. Kibbey, 18, of Blanchester, Ohio, who was killed during the Korean War, was accounted for Aug. 4, 2025.
Kibbey's family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In late 1950, Kibbey was a member of Company I, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Dec. 3 during a major battle near the Jangjin (Chosin) Reservoir, North Korea. The U.S. Army issued a presumptive finding of death for Kibbey on Dec. 31, 1953.
In 1954, during Operation Glory, North Korea unilaterally turned over remains to the United States, including one set, designated Unknown X-15858 Operation Glory. The remains were reportedly recovered from prisoner of war camps, United Nations cemeteries and isolated burial sites. None of the remains could be identified as Kibbey and he was declared non-recoverable on Jan. 16, 1956. The remains were subsequently buried as an Unknown in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
In July 2018, the DPAA proposed a plan to disinter 652 Korean War Unknowns from the Punchbowl. On May 16, 2022, DPAA personnel disinterred Unknown X-15858 as part of Phase Four of the Korean War Disinterment Plan and sent the remains to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
To identify Kibbey’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as chest radiograph and circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA analysis and mitochondrial genome sequencing data.
Kibbey’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.
Kibbey will be buried in Wilmington, Ohio in November 2025.
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.
Kibbey’s personnel profile can be viewed at https://dpaa-mil.sites.crmforce.mil/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt000000DtbVzEAJ.
Read Kibbey's initial ID announcement here: Kibbey.