Army Cpl. Ronald M. Sparks, killed in the Korean War, has now been accounted for.
On Feb. 12, 1951, Sparks was a member of Company D, 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, and was declared missing in action when his unit was clearing a road block held by enemy forces in the vicinity of Hoengsong, South Korea. Due to a prolonged lack of information regarding his status, a military review board amended his status to deceased.
In 1954, the remains of Korean War service members were returned to the United States in an operation called “Operation Glory.” The remains unable to be identified were interred as unknowns at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii.
Due to advances in technology, the remains were exhumed in 2015 for analysis.
Lab analysis, in conjunction with the totality of circumstantial evidence available, established Cpl. Sparks’ remains were among those exhumed.
Interment services are planned for August 19 in Everett, Massachusetts.
Welcome home and rest in peace, Cpl. Sparks