POW/MIA families receive closure in Omaha during Department of War meeting

Hundreds of families gathered in Omaha to honor their relatives who were either killed in action or presumed missing in the Korean War.

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Families gather in Omaha to honor Korean War relatives

OMAHA, Neb. —

Hundreds of families met in Omaha to honor their relatives who were missing or killed in action.

They received updates from the Defense POW-MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), which helps identify remains of missing service members.

On Thursday, the agency announced that they have identified their 800th missing American from the Korean War.

For forensic scientist Dr. Jennie Jin, the process of identifying service members is personal.

Her father was born in a South Korean refugee camp, after U.S. troops helped her grandparents escape North Korea.

“Had it not been the sacrifice of the U.S. service members and the families who suffered all the loss and grief, I would not be here today. So that’s my way of thanking the families to try to identify the missing servicemen,” said Jennie Jin, supervising forensic anthropologist.

DPAA Director Kelly McKeague said it’s their obligation to bring some closure to grieving families.

“These families have borne both a loss in heart and mind that their loved one never came home. We sent them off to combat. We sent them off to war, and he made the supreme sacrifice and has not yet come home. It’s a sacred obligation for the United States, and it’s also a moral imperative that we give these families the answers that they need,” Maj. General McKeague said.

Families also got the chance to share stories of their family members from Nebraska who were killed in action in Korea.

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