The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today
that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing from the Korean War, have been identified and
will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Army Cpl. William A. Newton, 22, of Sikeston, Mo., will be buried Dec. 20, in Sour
Lake, Texas. On Nov. 30, 1950, Newton was with the Headquarters Service Company, 2nd
Engineer Combat Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. After a battle with enemy forces, Newton was
reported missing in action, near Kunnu-ri, North Korea.
Following the war, returning U.S. service members reported that Newton had been
captured by the Chinese and died in February 1951 while held captive in prisoner of war Camp 5
near Pyoktong, North Korea.
During Operation Glory in September 1954, United Nations and Chinese forces
exchanged the remains of war dead, some of which were reportedly recovered from POW Camp 5
at Pyoktong.
A military review board declared the remains as unidentifiable in December 1955 and had
the remains transferred to Hawaii to be buried as unknown in the National Memorial Cemetery of
the Pacific, known as the “Punchbowl.”
Due to advances in technology, scientists from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting
Command (JPAC) in 2012 determined there was a possibility of identifying the remains. After
extensive historical and other research, the unknown remains were disinterred for analysis and
possible identification.
To identify Newton’s remains, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA
Identification Laboratory (AFDIL) used circumstantial evidence and forensic identification tools,
such as dental comparison and radiograph comparisons, which matched Newton’s X-rays taken in
1946.
Today, 7,897 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. Using modern
technology, identifications continue to be made from remains that were previously turned over by
North Korean officials or recovered from North Korea by American teams.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for missing
Americans, visit the DPMO web site at www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.