Remains of Calverton Man Killed in Korean War Identified

The remains of an 18-year-old Calverton man who was killed 74 years ago while serving in the Korean War have been identified, the U.S. Department of Defense announced on September 10.

U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Israel Ramos was reported missing in action when his unit was engaged in combat along the Nakdong River in the vicinity of Yongsan District, South Korea, on Aug. 31, 1950, officials said. His remains were recovered in December of that year, but were unable to be identified. The exact circumstances of his death were unclear and the U.S. Army declared his remains to be unrecoverable in 1956.

Ramos was interred as an unknown in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu until June 2021, when he was exhumed for laboratory analysis.

Experts used dental records, anthropological analysis, a chest radiograph, DNA analysis and other circumstantial evidence to confirm the remains belonged to Ramos, officials said.

He will be buried at Calverton National Cemetery on Friday, October 11.