The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army Cpl. Henry L. Helms, 24, of Collbran, Alabama, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for April 16, 2020.
In late 1950, Helms was a member of Company D, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. His unit was part of the 31st Regimental Combat Team during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir.
He went missing in action on December 2, 1950 during the Allied withdrawal to Hagaru-ri, south of the reservoir, when his unit was attacked by enemy forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea.
He was killed at some point following his disappearance, although the details of his loss are unknown. Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered.
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On July 27, 2018, following the summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un in June 2018, North Korea turned over 55 boxes, purported to contain the remains of American service members killed during the Korean War. The remains arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii on Aug. 1, 2018, and were subsequently accessioned into the DPAA laboratory for identification.
To identify Helms’ remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), Y chromosome (Y-STR), and autosomal DNA (auSTR) analysis.
Helms’ name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with the others who are still missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Helms will be buried May 22, 2021, in Ringgold, Georgia.
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