WASHINGTON — Over 72 years after the U.S. Army presumed he was dead, the remains of a Korean War soldier from Gallup have been accounted for.
Sgt. Celestino Chavez Jr. was killed in action during the Korean War. The U.S. Army presumed him dead Dec. 31, 1953, after he went missing in action three years before, on Dec. 2, 1950.
Chavez was wounded while defending his position during the crucial Battle of Chosin Reservoir in present-day North Korea. After evacuating to an aid station on Nov. 30, 1950, he was reported missing in action three days later when opposing forces ambushed his convoy as they were headed to Hagaru-ri.
After no indication was given that Chavez was being held as a prisoner of war, the U.S. Army issued a presumptive find of death. Later, he was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for his valor.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency credited a June 2018 U.S.-North Korea summit with leading to Chavez’s identification. After the U.S. received 55 boxes of Korean War service members’ remains from North Korea on Aug. 1 of that year, they went to the DPAA lab where scientists conducted various analyses and used various evidence, including genome sequencing data, to get to Chavez’s identity.
Now identified and accounted for, Chavez is set to be buried Wednesday in Gallup.
