Korean War Veteran Finally Laid to Rest 69 Years After He Went Missing
U.S. Army Capt. Rufus Hyman is finally being laid to rest at the Arlington National Cemetery 69 years after he went missing.
Republican Gov. Bill Lee of Tennessee declared Wednesday a day of mourning in honor of the Korean War veteran’s ultimate sacrifice, WZTV reported.
Hyman was serving in the Korean War and was only 23 years old when he was declared missing on July 30, 1950.
According to the Tennessee Department of Veterans Services, the Memphis, Tennessee, native was assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 34th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division.
Capt. Hyman went missing while in combat against the North Korean People’s Army.
A year after his disappearance, a search and recovery team from the American Graves Registration Service Group found human remains near where Hyman was last seen in Tanggok, South Korea.
The team’s attempts to identify the remains proved to be unfruitful so they were sent to the National Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii and were buried as “Unknown X-1575.”
In 2017, those unidentified remains were exhumed so scientists from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System could investigate the remain’s true identity.
Using modern DNA technology and “other evidence,” scientists were able to positively identify the remains as Capt. Hyman on Feb. 20.
“Rufus was a West Point graduate who served his country courageously,” Gov. Lee said, according to the Tennessee Department of Veterans Services.
“The Hyman family finally has the closure that they deserve, and we join them in pausing to remember this Tennessee hero as he is laid to rest in the Arlington National Cemetery.”
After 70 years, U.S. Army Captain Rufus J. Hyman of Memphis will be laid to rest at @ArlingtonNatl. I’ve directed flags to be flown at half-staff as we pause to remember this courageous Tennessean and his selfless service and sacrifice for our great nation. Welcome home, Captain.
— Governor Bill Lee (@GovBillLee) October 9, 2019
Capt. Hyman, who is survived by his two nieces and one nephew, will receive the funeral he deserved 69 years ago on Wednesday afternoon at Arlington National Cemetery.
The Department of Veterans Services Commissioner, Courtney Rogers, said the ceremony will be an opportunity to reflect upon Hyman’s “ultimate sacrifice.”
“Captain Hyman will be forever remembered for his service to our country,” Rogers said.
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