NORTON, Kan. (KSNW) – The remains of an unknown American soldier from the Korean War have been identified as belonging to a Kansas man.
In a news release issued today from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, the remains of U.S. Army Private 1st Class Lawrence H. Williams, 22, of Norton, were positively identified on Nov. 7, 2023.
Williams was a member of Able Company, 728th Military Police Battalion, 8th U.S. Army during the Korean War. The DPAA says the private was believed to have drowned in August 1951 after he went swimming in the Han River near Seoul.
Williams was seen struggling against the current, and rescue and search attempts were unsuccessful. He was declared dead in November of that year.
However, on Sep. 25, 1951, remains were found 40 miles downstream, but authorities were not able to identify them as belonging to Pvt. Williams. They were buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii.
In 2019, the DPAA began work using modern scientific analysis to try to identify all 652 remains buried at the National Memorial Cemetery as part of the Korean War Identification Project. Scientists compared chest X-rays and dental records to Williams’ remains and gathered other circumstantial evidence. In addition, mitochondrial DNA was recovered and analyzed by scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System.
The DPAA says Private Williams will be buried in Denver, Colorado. A date has not been set.
Since the Korean War Identification Project began, 680 remains have been identified, and 7,477 still remain unaccounted for.
