The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced today that the
remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Korean War, have been identified and
are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Army Cpl. Charles Arce, 19, of Brooklyn, N.Y., will be buried July 20 in Arlington
National Cemetery near Washington, D.C. On Nov. 1, 1950, Arce was assigned to M Company, 3rd
Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, occupying a defensive position in North
Korea, along the Nammyon River, near a bend known as the “Camel’s Head.” Two enemy
elements attacked the 1st Cavalry Division’s lines, collapsing their perimeter and forcing a
withdrawal. Almost 400 men, including Arce, were reported missing or killed in action following
the battle.
In 2007, North Korea gave the United States six boxes believed to contain the remains of
U.S. servicemen. Information provided with the boxes indicated the remains were exhumed in
November 2006 near Unsan County, North Pyongan Province. This location correlates with the
location of the 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment on Nov. 2, 1950.
Among forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from the
Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used mitochondrial DNA – which matched that of
Arce’s sister and brother—in the identification.
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.