KANSAS CITY - The body of a St. Louis soldier who served in the Korean War and was reported missing in 1951 has been accounted for, The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced Tuesday.
U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Walter Archie Ross Jr. was a member of L Company, 3rd Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division that served in the Korean War.
Ross was reported to be missing on Feb. 14, 1951 after his unit engaged the Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) near Sang-nok, South Korea.
Two repatriated U.S. prisoners of war (POWs) indicated that Ross was captured by the CCF, and while in Captivity died from dysentery in April 1951 at the Suan POW Camp Complex in North Korea.
In January 1956, Ross's body was determined to be nonrecoverable.
However, in 1994, the North Korean government unilaterally turned over 14 boxes of remains believed to be those of U.S. service members.
Documentation accompanying those remains indicated that the remains in one of the boxes were exhumed from Suan County, which correlates with Ross' last reported location at the Suan POW Camp Complex.
Ross would officially be accounted for on June 4, 2024 with scientists from DPAA using DNA, dental and anthropological analysis, as well as chest radiograph and other circumstantial evidence to identify Ross's remains.
The DPAA says Ross's family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
Ross’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, 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.
The DPAA says Ross will be buried in Missouri, at a date to be determined.