WASHINGTON, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- Remains of a U.S. soldier missing in action from the Korean War almost 60 years ago have been identified, the Defense Department said Monday.
Defense officials said in a release the remains of Army Cpl. Floyd E. Hooper, 27, of Stratton, Colo., will be buried Saturday in his hometown.
The Defense Department said it had learned Hooper, deployed with the 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, was captured Feb. 4, 1951, during Operation Thunderbolt south of the Han River, near Yangp'yong. He was held in a POW camp in North Korea until his death of malnutrition and dysentery a few months later.
Between 1991 and 1994, North Korea gave the United States 208 boxes believed to contain the remains of 200-400 servicemen. Hooper's remains were confirmed through analysis and other information, the Defense Department said.
More than 2,000 captured U.S. servicemen died as prisoners during the Korean War. More than 8,000 service members are still listed as missing in action from the war.
