Corporal Smith was a member of Company F, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. He was listed as Missing in Action while fighting the enemy in North Korea on November 28, 1950. He was presumed dead on December 31, 1953.
Remains Identified 2016
Burial Elmira, New York Oct 2016
Awarded
Purple Heart
National Defense Service Medal
Korean Service Medal
Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation
United Nations Service Medal
Republic of Korea War Service Medal
Combat Infantryman
**************************
For more than six decades, Raymond Smith wondered about the fate of his older brother William.
Hornell native William H. Smith was 18 when he went missing in action while serving with the U.S. Army in Korea.
After years of writing letters and making phone calls looking for answers, Raymond Smith recently told his family they would probably never know the truth about William.
But then he got a phone call — and shocking news.
Using DNA provided by Raymond Smith, the Army was finally able to positively identify his brother's remains.
Now, nearly 66 years after he went missing, U.S. Army Cpl. William H. Smith will be laid to rest at 1 p.m. Oct. 10 at Forest Lawn Cemetery on Jerusalem Hill Road in the Town of Elmira.
"I got a call about two weeks ago, and they said, 'Who am I speaking to?' I said Raymond Smith. He said, 'Good, I've got good news for you,'" said Smith, 77, who now lives in Dandridge, Tennessee.
"I thought it was someone selling me something. I was about to hang up," Smith said. "But they said, 'You are the brother of William Smith? I have good news. We have his body.' Right away, I was surprised. Later on in the phone call, he said we only have two of his bones — a lower jaw and upper right hand bone. It is not a mystery solved. But I've got something."
The mystery of William H. Smith started in November 1950.
Smith was a member of Army Company E, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, stationed in Korea near the Chinese border.
Following a fierce battle with Chinese forces Nov. 28 in which American troops were forced to withdraw, Smith was reported missing in action.
Smith's name did not appear on any prisoner-of-war lists, and none of the remains turned over by North Korea following the war were identified as his. By 1954, he was declared non-recoverable.
Between 1990 and 1994, North Korea returned to the United States 208 boxes of co-mingled human remains, which — when combined with remains recovered during joint recovery operations in North Korea between 1996 and 2005 — included the remains of at least 600 U.S. servicemen who fought during the war.
North Korean documents included in the repatriation indicated some of the remains were recovered from the vicinity where Smith had gone missing.
Raymond Smith had the foresight in recent years to submit a DNA sample for comparison as part of his effort to figure out his brother's story.
As government scientists sifted through hundreds of jumbled remains, they were able to draw a DNA match between two of the bones and William Smith.
"If you have an MIA family member, by all means, send in DNA. It's like a fingerprint," Raymond Smith said. "It was like a miracle."
Continue reading below as his decision to have his brother's remains buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery because their mother is also buried there.
"She cried and would be very quiet on his birthday, Memorial Day, Christmas. She wanted to be left alone," Smith said. "She went to her grave crying about Bill. That's why I wanted him next to her."
Raymond Smith's daughter Heather Swank lives in Elmira and has been coordinating with the Army to make burial arrangements.
Forest Lawn has a section for veterans, and Smith will be buried with full military honors, Swank said. Olthof Funeral Home, in Southport, is handling arrangements.
Anyone who wants to come to the Oct. 10 funeral and pay their respects to Cpl. Smith is welcome to attend, Raymond Smith said.
Nearly 7,800 Americans who fought in the Korean War remain unaccounted for, according to the Department of Defense.
For the family of Cpl. William Smith, his doting younger brother said they will at least finally have some sense of closure after years of heartache and uncertainty."I can close my eyes and see us kids. My brother was my hero, and he still is," Raymond Smith said. "Not everybody has a certified hero in their family. It's not just my brother. It's for everyone like him. It's a loss that can never be recovered. You just have to learn to live with it".
Story by: Jeff Murray: Elmira Star-Gazette
Remains Identified 2016
Burial Elmira, New York Oct 2016
Awarded
Purple Heart
National Defense Service Medal
Korean Service Medal
Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation
United Nations Service Medal
Republic of Korea War Service Medal
Combat Infantryman
**************************
For more than six decades, Raymond Smith wondered about the fate of his older brother William.
Hornell native William H. Smith was 18 when he went missing in action while serving with the U.S. Army in Korea.
After years of writing letters and making phone calls looking for answers, Raymond Smith recently told his family they would probably never know the truth about William.
But then he got a phone call — and shocking news.
Using DNA provided by Raymond Smith, the Army was finally able to positively identify his brother's remains.
Now, nearly 66 years after he went missing, U.S. Army Cpl. William H. Smith will be laid to rest at 1 p.m. Oct. 10 at Forest Lawn Cemetery on Jerusalem Hill Road in the Town of Elmira.
"I got a call about two weeks ago, and they said, 'Who am I speaking to?' I said Raymond Smith. He said, 'Good, I've got good news for you,'" said Smith, 77, who now lives in Dandridge, Tennessee.
"I thought it was someone selling me something. I was about to hang up," Smith said. "But they said, 'You are the brother of William Smith? I have good news. We have his body.' Right away, I was surprised. Later on in the phone call, he said we only have two of his bones — a lower jaw and upper right hand bone. It is not a mystery solved. But I've got something."
The mystery of William H. Smith started in November 1950.
Smith was a member of Army Company E, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, stationed in Korea near the Chinese border.
Following a fierce battle with Chinese forces Nov. 28 in which American troops were forced to withdraw, Smith was reported missing in action.
Smith's name did not appear on any prisoner-of-war lists, and none of the remains turned over by North Korea following the war were identified as his. By 1954, he was declared non-recoverable.
Between 1990 and 1994, North Korea returned to the United States 208 boxes of co-mingled human remains, which — when combined with remains recovered during joint recovery operations in North Korea between 1996 and 2005 — included the remains of at least 600 U.S. servicemen who fought during the war.
North Korean documents included in the repatriation indicated some of the remains were recovered from the vicinity where Smith had gone missing.
Raymond Smith had the foresight in recent years to submit a DNA sample for comparison as part of his effort to figure out his brother's story.
As government scientists sifted through hundreds of jumbled remains, they were able to draw a DNA match between two of the bones and William Smith.
"If you have an MIA family member, by all means, send in DNA. It's like a fingerprint," Raymond Smith said. "It was like a miracle."
Continue reading below as his decision to have his brother's remains buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery because their mother is also buried there.
"She cried and would be very quiet on his birthday, Memorial Day, Christmas. She wanted to be left alone," Smith said. "She went to her grave crying about Bill. That's why I wanted him next to her."
Raymond Smith's daughter Heather Swank lives in Elmira and has been coordinating with the Army to make burial arrangements.
Forest Lawn has a section for veterans, and Smith will be buried with full military honors, Swank said. Olthof Funeral Home, in Southport, is handling arrangements.
Anyone who wants to come to the Oct. 10 funeral and pay their respects to Cpl. Smith is welcome to attend, Raymond Smith said.
Nearly 7,800 Americans who fought in the Korean War remain unaccounted for, according to the Department of Defense.
For the family of Cpl. William Smith, his doting younger brother said they will at least finally have some sense of closure after years of heartache and uncertainty."I can close my eyes and see us kids. My brother was my hero, and he still is," Raymond Smith said. "Not everybody has a certified hero in their family. It's not just my brother. It's for everyone like him. It's a loss that can never be recovered. You just have to learn to live with it".
Story by: Jeff Murray: Elmira Star-Gazette
Corporal Smith was a member of Company F, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. He was listed as Missing in Action while fighting the enemy in North Korea on November 28, 1950. He was presumed dead on December 31, 1953.
Remains Identified 2016
Burial Elmira, New York Oct 2016
Awarded
Purple Heart
National Defense Service Medal
Korean Service Medal
Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation
United Nations Service Medal
Republic of Korea War Service Medal
Combat Infantryman
**************************
For more than six decades, Raymond Smith wondered about the fate of his older brother William.
Hornell native William H. Smith was 18 when he went missing in action while serving with the U.S. Army in Korea.
After years of writing letters and making phone calls looking for answers, Raymond Smith recently told his family they would probably never know the truth about William.
But then he got a phone call — and shocking news.
Using DNA provided by Raymond Smith, the Army was finally able to positively identify his brother's remains.
Now, nearly 66 years after he went missing, U.S. Army Cpl. William H. Smith will be laid to rest at 1 p.m. Oct. 10 at Forest Lawn Cemetery on Jerusalem Hill Road in the Town of Elmira.
"I got a call about two weeks ago, and they said, 'Who am I speaking to?' I said Raymond Smith. He said, 'Good, I've got good news for you,'" said Smith, 77, who now lives in Dandridge, Tennessee.
"I thought it was someone selling me something. I was about to hang up," Smith said. "But they said, 'You are the brother of William Smith? I have good news. We have his body.' Right away, I was surprised. Later on in the phone call, he said we only have two of his bones — a lower jaw and upper right hand bone. It is not a mystery solved. But I've got something."
The mystery of William H. Smith started in November 1950.
Smith was a member of Army Company E, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, stationed in Korea near the Chinese border.
Following a fierce battle with Chinese forces Nov. 28 in which American troops were forced to withdraw, Smith was reported missing in action.
Smith's name did not appear on any prisoner-of-war lists, and none of the remains turned over by North Korea following the war were identified as his. By 1954, he was declared non-recoverable.
Between 1990 and 1994, North Korea returned to the United States 208 boxes of co-mingled human remains, which — when combined with remains recovered during joint recovery operations in North Korea between 1996 and 2005 — included the remains of at least 600 U.S. servicemen who fought during the war.
North Korean documents included in the repatriation indicated some of the remains were recovered from the vicinity where Smith had gone missing.
Raymond Smith had the foresight in recent years to submit a DNA sample for comparison as part of his effort to figure out his brother's story.
As government scientists sifted through hundreds of jumbled remains, they were able to draw a DNA match between two of the bones and William Smith.
"If you have an MIA family member, by all means, send in DNA. It's like a fingerprint," Raymond Smith said. "It was like a miracle."
Continue reading below as his decision to have his brother's remains buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery because their mother is also buried there.
"She cried and would be very quiet on his birthday, Memorial Day, Christmas. She wanted to be left alone," Smith said. "She went to her grave crying about Bill. That's why I wanted him next to her."
Raymond Smith's daughter Heather Swank lives in Elmira and has been coordinating with the Army to make burial arrangements.
Forest Lawn has a section for veterans, and Smith will be buried with full military honors, Swank said. Olthof Funeral Home, in Southport, is handling arrangements.
Anyone who wants to come to the Oct. 10 funeral and pay their respects to Cpl. Smith is welcome to attend, Raymond Smith said.
Nearly 7,800 Americans who fought in the Korean War remain unaccounted for, according to the Department of Defense.
For the family of Cpl. William Smith, his doting younger brother said they will at least finally have some sense of closure after years of heartache and uncertainty."I can close my eyes and see us kids. My brother was my hero, and he still is," Raymond Smith said. "Not everybody has a certified hero in their family. It's not just my brother. It's for everyone like him. It's a loss that can never be recovered. You just have to learn to live with it".
Story by: Jeff Murray: Elmira Star-Gazette
Remains Identified 2016
Burial Elmira, New York Oct 2016
Awarded
Purple Heart
National Defense Service Medal
Korean Service Medal
Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation
United Nations Service Medal
Republic of Korea War Service Medal
Combat Infantryman
**************************
For more than six decades, Raymond Smith wondered about the fate of his older brother William.
Hornell native William H. Smith was 18 when he went missing in action while serving with the U.S. Army in Korea.
After years of writing letters and making phone calls looking for answers, Raymond Smith recently told his family they would probably never know the truth about William.
But then he got a phone call — and shocking news.
Using DNA provided by Raymond Smith, the Army was finally able to positively identify his brother's remains.
Now, nearly 66 years after he went missing, U.S. Army Cpl. William H. Smith will be laid to rest at 1 p.m. Oct. 10 at Forest Lawn Cemetery on Jerusalem Hill Road in the Town of Elmira.
"I got a call about two weeks ago, and they said, 'Who am I speaking to?' I said Raymond Smith. He said, 'Good, I've got good news for you,'" said Smith, 77, who now lives in Dandridge, Tennessee.
"I thought it was someone selling me something. I was about to hang up," Smith said. "But they said, 'You are the brother of William Smith? I have good news. We have his body.' Right away, I was surprised. Later on in the phone call, he said we only have two of his bones — a lower jaw and upper right hand bone. It is not a mystery solved. But I've got something."
The mystery of William H. Smith started in November 1950.
Smith was a member of Army Company E, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, stationed in Korea near the Chinese border.
Following a fierce battle with Chinese forces Nov. 28 in which American troops were forced to withdraw, Smith was reported missing in action.
Smith's name did not appear on any prisoner-of-war lists, and none of the remains turned over by North Korea following the war were identified as his. By 1954, he was declared non-recoverable.
Between 1990 and 1994, North Korea returned to the United States 208 boxes of co-mingled human remains, which — when combined with remains recovered during joint recovery operations in North Korea between 1996 and 2005 — included the remains of at least 600 U.S. servicemen who fought during the war.
North Korean documents included in the repatriation indicated some of the remains were recovered from the vicinity where Smith had gone missing.
Raymond Smith had the foresight in recent years to submit a DNA sample for comparison as part of his effort to figure out his brother's story.
As government scientists sifted through hundreds of jumbled remains, they were able to draw a DNA match between two of the bones and William Smith.
"If you have an MIA family member, by all means, send in DNA. It's like a fingerprint," Raymond Smith said. "It was like a miracle."
Continue reading below as his decision to have his brother's remains buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery because their mother is also buried there.
"She cried and would be very quiet on his birthday, Memorial Day, Christmas. She wanted to be left alone," Smith said. "She went to her grave crying about Bill. That's why I wanted him next to her."
Raymond Smith's daughter Heather Swank lives in Elmira and has been coordinating with the Army to make burial arrangements.
Forest Lawn has a section for veterans, and Smith will be buried with full military honors, Swank said. Olthof Funeral Home, in Southport, is handling arrangements.
Anyone who wants to come to the Oct. 10 funeral and pay their respects to Cpl. Smith is welcome to attend, Raymond Smith said.
Nearly 7,800 Americans who fought in the Korean War remain unaccounted for, according to the Department of Defense.
For the family of Cpl. William Smith, his doting younger brother said they will at least finally have some sense of closure after years of heartache and uncertainty."I can close my eyes and see us kids. My brother was my hero, and he still is," Raymond Smith said. "Not everybody has a certified hero in their family. It's not just my brother. It's for everyone like him. It's a loss that can never be recovered. You just have to learn to live with it".
Story by: Jeff Murray: Elmira Star-Gazette
Gravesite Details
Korean War Memorial in Dayton, Ohio, Cenotaph New York Panel 20
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