Remains of US Korean War soldier return home after 73 years

U.S. Army Cpl. John Spruell, killed during the 1950-53 Korean War, had his long-awaited identification confirmed by the U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) on May 6 (local time).

Spruell, a native of Cortez, Colo., was only 19 years old when he went missing in action (MIA) in December 1950. He was a member of Battery B, 57th Field Artillery Battalion, 7th Infantry Division. He disappeared during intense combat during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in Changjin County, North Korea.

U.S. Army Cpl. John Spruell / Courtesy of U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency website

For over seven decades, Spruell's fate remained a mystery. Despite diligent efforts, the circumstances surrounding his disappearance were not immediately recorded, and there was never any evidence suggesting he was held as a prisoner of war. Consequently, the Army declared him MIA on Dec. 6, 1950.

The quest to bring closure to Spruell's family gained momentum after the agreement reached by opposing nations in 1954 to exchange war dead, known as Operation GLORY. Among the unidentified remains recovered near Chosin Reservoir was a set designated X-15754 OP GLORY.

In a significant development, the DPAA proposed a plan in July 2018 to disinter 652 Korean War unknowns. Subsequently, on March 8, 2021, Unknown X-15754 was disinterred as part of Phase Three of the Korean War Disinterment Project and transferred to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.

The identification process involved meticulous scientific analysis by the DPAA and Armed Forces Medical Examiner System scientists. Dental and anthropological analysis, chest radiograph comparison, circumstantial evidence and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis were all employed to confirm Spruell's identity.