WASHINGTON – The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) previously announced U.S. Army Cpl. John B. Miller, 22, of Mullins, South Carolina, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for Sept. 4, 2024.
Miller’s family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
In November 1950, Miller was a member of Heavy Mortar Company, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Dec. 2, 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.
In the fall of 1953, during Operation Glory, North Korea unilaterally turned over remains to the United States, including one set, designated Unknown X-15743. Those remains were reportedly recovered from prisoner of war camps, United Nations cemeteries and isolated burial sites. None of the remains could be positivity identified as Miller. Those unidentified remains were subsequently buried as an Unknown in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii.
In April 2021, DPAA personnel disinterred Unknown X-15743 as part of the Korean War disinterment project and sent the remains to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
To identify Miller’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as other circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Miller’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.
Miller will be buried in Florence, South Carolina, on Dec. 6, 2024.
