Thank You, May God Bless You...
And may you rest in eternally honored peace!
Posted on 08/05/2010 6:19:26 PM PDT by SLB
Sixty years after North Koreans executed Corporal Harry James Reeve, he received a proper burial.
An array of veterans groups and media crews were among those who attended his Radcliff funeral, which included full military honors. Also at the Wednesday service were Reeve’s two cousins who supplied DNA to identify his remains.
Reeve, of Philadelphia, died at 18 when he and several others from the U.S. Army’s 8th Cavalry Regiment were shot by a firing squad during the war.
A joint team from the United States and North Korea found Reeve during excavation of a farm field six years ago.
His remains, which had been in Hawaii pending identification, arrived Tuesday night in Louisville.
Reeve’s cousins thanked those who came to the airport for Reeve’s arrival. Tom Hughes also expressed gratitude to those involved with the recovery and DNA analysis.
Hughes and his brother, James, said the service at the Kentucky Veterans Cemetery-Central was excellent.
It included a short speech by Lt. Col. Seunghak Kim with the South Korean embassy. On behalf of the Korean government, he extended a deep appreciation for Reeve.
“It’s good that he has made it back home and that he can be laid to rest,” said Maj. James Boulware after delivering the eulogy.
Also at the funeral, Bill Taylor of Louisville said it is outstanding the body was found and brought home. Taylor, who served in Korea, said it was appropriate Reeve received full military honors for the burial after so long.
“Every veteran should have the same privilege,” he said.
“I really consider it an honor to respect him,” said Joe Uhlig, who also was stationed in Korea. Uhlig is a Hardin County resident and a member of the Patriot Guard Riders motorcycle group.
The Kentucky Mission of Honor, Team 12, was another organization to attend the service, as well as put up signs and flags.
“No veteran should be left behind,” said member Charles “Ken” Gregory. “And that is what we’re about.”
His group helps identify remains and give veterans a proper burial.
“I feel very honored to be just a small part of what we’re doing,” said Gregory, a Vietnam veteran.
Earlier this summer, his organization and the Missing in America Project helped inter the cremated remains of more than 30 veterans and some of their wives at the Radcliff cemetery.
The Kentucky Veterans Administration helped organize Wednesday’s service.
It’s not too late.
R.I.P., Corporal Reeve.
Yes, quite a few although most were badly mistreated. Some were forced to give filmed statements and there was a big controversy over the whole issue of "brainwashing."
That issue made it into the movies in The Manchurian Candidate, which is of course fiction but well worth the rental.
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