Cpl Earl H Markle

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Army Cpl. Earl H. Markle, 19, of Spring Grove, Pennsylvania, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for on May 17, 2019.

(This identification was initially published on May 28, 2019.)

In November 1950, Markle was a member of Company M, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. He was reported missing in action on Nov. 2, 1950, when his unit was attacked by enemy forces near Unsan, North Korea. His remains could not be recovered following the attack, and he was not reported as a prisoner of war. The U.S. Army declared him deceased as of Dec. 31, 1953.

On July 27, 2018, following the summit between President Trump and North Korean Chairman Kim in June 2018, North Korea turned over 55 boxes, purported to contain the remains of American service members killed during the Korean War. The remains arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii on Aug. 1, 2018, and were subsequently accessioned into the DPAA laboratory for identification.

To identify Markle’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.

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