DNA Match Resolves 75-Year Mystery of Teen Soldier in Korea
U.S. Army Sgt. Celestino Chavez, who enlisted at 17 and fought near the Chosin Reservoir, has been identified 75 years after going missing in action. Through DPAA-led anthropological work, multiple forms of DNA testing and other evidence, Chavez’s remains were identified and returned for a full honors burial in Gallup, New Mexico. His family had last heard from him in 1950 when he wrote his mother, “no tears,” and he was later awarded the Silver Star posthumously along with a Purple Heart.