65 Years After They Went Missing in Action, These Two U.S. Soldiers were Finally Found In Korea

What happens when someone goes missing during a war? Most of the time, people who goes missing are considered to be dead. It is easier for the families of the missing people to move on with their life. Two U.S. soldiers, Robert Graham and Roy Henderson went missing during the Korean War. In that war, the Koreans have lost 1.6 million populations of theirs and even the U.S. also lost 36,516 soldiers. Korea was the colony of Japan until WWII, but once Japan collapsed, Korea gained its freedom eventually. Now various parties were trying to become legitimate rulers. Finally, North Korea and South Korea were formed with two different political parties helming the position. North belonged to the communist Kim II-sung and backed by China and Russia, whereas, the South was backed by the U.N. till 1948. In 1948, South Korea was announced independent country, but this lead to a guerilla war. In 1950, when North Korea invaded South Korean capital, Seoul, only U.S. troops could help and finally, American intervention came with sanction from the U.N. The conflict got the name ‘cold war’ where the democratic allies of America and the communist nations fought against each other. When the war was intense, Corporal Robert Perry Graham was among the U.S. troops posted in Hoengsong on February 11, 1951. The unit was asked to head back to Wonju and once the troop was there, they found out that corporal Graham was missing. Everybody was sure that he might have died as the POW, but without any proof, it was difficult for the family to believe it. Private Roy A. Henderson was another American soldier who had reached the same fate. He was posted near the town of Anui where they were supposed to stem the North Korean Advance. However, the opposite happened and under immense pressure, the American troop had to retreat. After the escape, Henderson couldn’t be tracked down. In 1953, he was declared dead, but the family wasn’t handed over any body, so they hoped that one day he will be back. The prayers of both the families were answered when they received the remains of their loved ones. In 2016, U.S. Defense POW/ MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced that they finally have information about the whereabouts of 600 soldiers who went missing during the Korean War. The DPAA followed up diligently with the tracking of their men and finally due to their hard work, the family members were able to get back the remains of their loved ones and were able to conduct a proper funeral for them.