WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Army Cpl. Robert L. Brewster, 19, of Cottage Hills, Illinois, killed during the Korean War, was accounted-for March 28, 2025.
Brewster's family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In July 1950, Brewster was a member of L Company, 3rd Battalion, 34th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on July 8 after a battle in the vicinity of Cheonan, South Korea. He was not reported as a prisoner of war and subsequent searches of the battle area failed to recover his remains. With no evidence of his continued survival, the U.S. Army issued a presumptive finding of death on Dec. 31, 1953.
On Aug. 13, 1951, the 565th Graves Registration Company recovered a set of remains from an isolated grave along railroad tracks of the Seoul to Cheonan Line in the vicinity of Cheonan, South Korea. Those remains, designated Unknown X-1759, could not be positively identified at the time due to insufficient information. In February 1956, Unknown X-1759 was transferred to National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
In October 2019, DPAA proposed a plan to disinter 652 Korean War Unknowns from the Punchbowl. Unknown X-1759 was disinterred as part of Phase Two of the Korean War Disinterment Plan and accessioned into the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
To identify Unknown X-1759 as Brewster, scientists from DPAA used dental, anthropological, and chest radiograph analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA analysis and mitochondrial genome sequencing data.
Brewster’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.
Brewster will be buried in Bethalto, Illinois 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.
Brewster's personnel profile can be viewed at: Cpl ROBERT LEE BREWSTER - Service Member Profile.
Read Brewster's initial ID announcement here: Brewster.