WASHINGTON –
Army Sgt. 1st Class Rufus L. Ketchum, missing from the Korean War, was accounted for on April 23, 2018.
In late November 1950, Ketchum was a member of Medical Detachment, 57th Field Artillery Battalion, 31st Regimental Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division. Approximately 2,500 U.S. and 700 South Korean soldiers assembled into the 31st Regimental Combat Team (RCT), which was deployed east of the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea, when it was attacked by overwhelming numbers of Chinese forces. As the Chinese attacks continued, American forces withdrew south. The U.S. Army evacuated approximately 1,500 service members; the remaining soldiers had been either captured, killed or missing in enemy territory. Ketchum was reported missing in action on Dec. 6, 1950, after he was last seen in the vicinity of Hagaru-ri.
Interment services are pending; more details will be released 7-10 days prior to scheduled funeral services.
Ketchum's name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing in Honolulu, along with the others who are missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
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