17-Year-Old Soldier Killed 70 Years Ago in Korean War to be Buried In Virginia

President Harry Truman knew the Korean War would cost American lives. He once said, “We know that the cost of freedom is high, but we are determined to pay it, no matter the cost.” And this was the case for Army Private First Class Bobbie Ray Daniels.

17-year-old Private Daniels from Bedford, Virginia, went missing in August of 1950. He was a cavalryman in the 1st Cavalry Division and died fighting alongside South Korean troops against the Soviet-backed North Koreans. His remains were not immediately recovered, and he was officially declared dead in May 1953.

Unknown soldiers' remains from the Korean War were transferred to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Names of service members from the war who were not recovered or identified are printed in the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl.

To identify Private Daniels' remains, scientists from Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency used dental and anthropological analysis, and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System tested mitochondrial DNA.

Now that he’s been identified, a rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for. And Private First Class Bobbie Ray Daniels will finally be laid to rest.

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