Two Soldiers From Korean War Era Have Finally Been Accounted For

Two soldiers who were killed during the Korean War have finally been accounted for. According to the Defence POW/MIA Accounting Agency, in a statement on March 1st, two different soldiers have finally been accounted for. Army Cpl. Carmen Carrillo was accounted for on February 3, 2023, while Army Master Sgt. Merritt L. Wynn was accounted for on August 26, 2022.

Wynn was part of the Americans sent in 55 boxes North Korean leader Kin Jong Un gave to President Trump in 2018. The remains in the boxes were believed to contain remains of American service members killed during the Korean War. Though they were sent to an agency lab at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickman for identification in 2018.

According to Army Times,

Wynn was a member of K Company, 3rd Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division in late 1950. He was reported missing in action on Nov. 26, 1951, after the Chinese People’s Volunteer Forces attacked his unit’s position east of Unsan, North Korea, according to the agency. Wynn was awarded the Silver Star Medal for his leadership and bravery on that day.

The agency did not indicate how it accounted for Carrillo, who was reported missing in action on May 17, 1951, after fighting the Chinese People’s Volunteer Forces in Gangwon Hongchun, Republic of Korea. He was a member of Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division.

Carrillo was never recorded as a prisoner of war. His remains were determined not to be recoverable in January 1956.

Gwen Stokes