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Accident – Death – Obituary News :
Tragic Discovery of U.S. Army Cpl. Ray K. Lilly’s Remains
It was a day of somber reflection as the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) revealed the heartbreaking news that U.S. Army Cpl. Ray K. Lilly, a young soldier from Matoaka, W.Va., who lost his life during the Korean War, had finally been accounted for on September 26, 2023.
Details of Lilly’s Disappearance
Back in November 1950, Cpl. Lilly was serving in L Company, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division when he went missing in action during a defensive operation near Unsan, North Korea, on November 2, 1950. Tragically, it was later discovered that Lilly had passed away while in captivity in January or February 1951.
The Long Road to Closure
Following Operation Big Switch, several returning prisoners of war (POW) reported seeing Cpl. Lilly at POW Camp #5. Despite their accounts, Lilly’s remains could not be positively identified at the time. In a poignant gesture, his unidentified remains were laid to rest as an Unknown in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.
The Search for Answers
In July 2018, the DPAA put forth a plan to exhume 652 Korean War Unknowns from the Punchbowl. As part of Phase Two of the Korean War Disinterment Project in 2019, Unknown X-14682 was disinterred and sent to the DPAA laboratory for analysis. This marked a significant step in the quest to bring closure to families of missing soldiers.
Scientific Breakthrough
Through meticulous dental, anthropological analysis, and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) testing conducted by scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System, Cpl. Lilly’s remains were positively identified. His name, eternally etched on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, will now bear a rosette to signify his long-awaited return home.
Bringing Cpl. Lilly Home
Cpl. Lilly will be laid to rest in his hometown of Princeton, W.Va., in a ceremony that honours his sacrifice and celebrates the closure brought to his family. For those seeking more information about the funeral arrangements or wishing to pay their respects, the Army Casualty Office can be contacted at 800-892-2490.
For the latest updates on DPAA’s tireless efforts to recover those still unaccounted for from the Korean War, visit the Korean War Accounting page on the DPAA website at https://dpaa-mil.sites.crmforce.mil/dpaaFamWebKorean.
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