United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

Ensign Robert Warren Langwell, of

Columbus, Indiana Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Bartholomew County, Indiana, United States. The population was 50,474 at the 2020 census. The relatively small city has provided a unique place for noted Modern architecture and public art, commissio ...

was declared

missing in action Missing in action (MIA) is a casualty classification assigned to combatants, military chaplains, combat medics, and prisoners of war who are reported missing during wartime or ceasefire. They may have been killed, wounded, captured, ex ...

during the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

. His body was recovered in 2008 by the

Republic of Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its east ...

's Ministry of National Defense Agency for Killed in Action Recovery and Identification (MAKRI) who which sent them to

Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command The Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (often referred to as JPAC) was a joint task force within the United States Department of Defense (DoD) whose mission was to account for Americans who are listed as Prisoners of War (POW), or Missing in Act ...

(JPAC) for analysis."Sailor Missing From Korean War Identified"
The U.S. Navy. N.p., 29 June 2010. Web. 2 July 2010. Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, JPAC scientists used dental comparisons in the identification of Langwell's remains which are to be buried with full military honors in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

on July 12, 2010.

Disappearance and aftermath

On October 1, 1950, Langwell was serving on the minesweeper

USS Magpie (AMS-25) USS ''Magpie'' (AMS-26/YMS-400) was a built for the United States Navy during World War II. History ''Magpie'' was laid down as ''YMS-400'' by Henry B. Nevins, Inc., City Island, New York, New York, 3 July 1942; launched 24 March 1943; spons ...

when it struck an enemy mine off the coast of Chuksan-ri, South Korea. While twelve crew members of ''Magpie'' were rescued, Langwell was one of 20 others lost at sea."USS Magpie Casualty List"
Korean War Educator. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 July 2010. Personnel from MAKRI canvassed towns in South Korea in an effort to gather information regarding South Korean soldiers who remain unaccounted-for from the Korean War. An elderly fisherman in the village of Chuksan-ri reported that he and other villagers buried an American service man in 1950 when his body was caught in the man's fishing net. MAKRI personnel located the burial site April 28, 2009, where they excavated human remains and military artifacts. The burial site was approximately three miles west of where ''Magpie'' sank in 1950.

References

1924 births 1950 deaths 1950s missing person cases American military personnel killed in the Korean War Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Formerly missing people Military personnel missing in action Missing person cases in Asia People lost at sea United States Navy officers United States Navy personnel of the Korean War {{US-mil-bio-stub

Disappearance and aftermath

See also

References