NASHVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – The remains of a Kentucky soldier who disappeared after a 1950 Korean War battle with high casualties will be returned home for a burial with full military honors.
Pfc. Joe Elmore of Clinton County, Ky. was killed at the age of 20 and has been missing for 68 years.
According to WKRN News 2, his remains were flown into Nashville on American Airlines flight 2502 on Wednesday, Aug. 15. A family escort will take him to their hometown of Albany, Ky.
Nearly two dozen relatives of Pfc. Elmore arrived at the airport for an emotional homecoming. A military honor guard took the casket from the plane as family members stood by.
The casket was loaded into a hearse, headed for Albany, Kentucky, where flags are flying. The whole town is expected to turn out for a big parade.
Elmore was 20 when he was killed during a battle on Dec. 2, 1950, in Hamgyeong Province, North Korea. He will be given a military funeral in Albany, Kentucky, on Aug. 18.
The POW/MIA Accounting Agency said in a release that Elmore was among about 2,500 U.S. soldiers that were attacked in late November by overwhelming Chinese forces near the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea. The attacks pushed the U.S. forces to withdraw south and by Dec. 6, the Army had evacuated about 1,500 soldiers. The release said the rest had been captured, killed, or were missing in enemy territory.
The agency says about 7,700 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War.
*The Associated Press and WKRN News 2 contributed to this report.