The remains of a White County soldier who was listed as missing in action during the Korean War have been identified and will soon return home for burial with full military honors.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced on May 18th that it had identified the remains of U.S. Army Cpl. Jackie Lee Thurman of Norris City, who had been missing since September 3, 1950.
Thurman served with Battery B, 99th Field Artillery Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division. During intense fighting near Taegu, South Korea, his forward observation post came under heavy North Korean mortar fire. After the officer in charge of the post was shell-shocked, Thurman attempted to escort him back to friendly lines. Neither soldier was seen again.
In October 1952, an unidentified set of remains was recovered near Kumhwa-dong, South Korea, but could not be identified. The remains were buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu in 1956.
In November 2022, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency exhumed the remains as part of an effort to identify unknown service members from the Korean War. Using modern forensic analysis, scientists confirmed the remains belonged to Thurman.
Thurman is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, and his name is also inscribed on the Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C.
Campbell Funeral Home in Norris City is in charge of the funeral arrangements.
Cpl. Thurman will be escorted home on Thursday, August 6th after arriving at St. Louis Lambert International Airport. The public is invited to pay their respects along the escort route, which will travel east on Interstate 70, continue on Interstate 64, then exit at U.S. Highway 45 before proceeding south to Norris City. Campbell Funeral Home will provide updates on the escort throughout the day on its Facebook page.
Cpl. Thurman was officially declared presumed dead on December 31, 1953, more than three years after he was reported missing in action.
Graveside funeral services with full military honors will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, August 8th at I.O.O.F. Cemetery near Norris City. Additional funeral information and Thurman’s obituary are available on the wfiwradio.com website.