U.S. sailor's remains from Korean War ID'd

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WASHINGTON, June 29 (UPI) -- The U.S. military said Tuesday the remains of a U.S. Navy sailor missing in action since the Korean War have been identified and returned to his family.

The Defense Department said in a release the remains of Ens. Robert W. Langwell of Columbus, Ind., will be buried with full military honors July 12 in Arlington National Cemetery.

Langwell was on the minesweeper USS Magpie when it struck an enemy mine off the coast of Chuksan-ri, South Korea, and sank Oct. 1, 1950. He was one of 20 men lost at sea. A dozen crew mates were rescued.

In June 2008, South Korean officials canvassing towns to gather information about South Korean soldiers still unaccounted for from the war came across an elderly fisherman in the village of Chuksan-ri who reported he and other villagers had buried an American serviceman in 1950 when his body was caught in the man's fishing net.

The grave was found April 28, 2009, and the remains disinterred for return to the United States for analysis. Dental records and other forensic tools helped confirm the remains were those of Langwell.

There are still 8,025 U.S. service members still missing from the Korean War.