The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army Sgt. 1st Class Nicholas J. Valentine, 22, of Cassville, Wisconsin, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for March 16, 2021.
In late 1950, Valentine was a member of Battery B, 57th Field Artillery Battalion, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Dec. 6, 1950, after his unit was attacked by enemy forces as they attempted to withdraw near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea. Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered.
On November 27, 1950, the 31st Regimental Combat Team (RCT), tasked with replacing the 5th Marine Regiment on the east side of the Chosin Reservoir, arrived at the P'ungnyuri Inlet. That night, Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) launched a massive surprise attack against the 31st RCT. Large-scale attacks continued through December 1, when the RCT withdrew to the town of Hagaru-ri at the base of the Chosin Reservoir.
By December 2, the survivors of the 31st RCT were in place on the defensive perimeter surrounding the town of Hagaru-ri near East Hill. The Chinese attacked their positions on the evening of December 3 and again overnight on December 5-6. A general withdrawal to Hamhung began on December 6. SFC Valentine went missing in action during his unit's withdrawal from the Chosin Reservoir, but the exact circumstances of his loss are unknown.
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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 Valentine’s 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.
Valentine’s 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.
Valentine will be buried in his hometown in May 2021.
For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.
To see the most up-to-date statistics on DPAA recovery efforts for those unaccounted for from the Korean War, go to the Korean War fact sheet on the DPAA website here.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website, or find us on social media or on LinkedIn.
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