Remains of Army officer who had ties to Lawton returned to U.S. 62 years after epic battle in Korea

The remains of a U.S. serviceman missing in action from the Korean War have been identified as the father of a Lawton woman and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors, the Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced Tuesday.

Army Capt. Turnace H. Brown, 28, of Gainesville, Fla., will be buried Friday at Forest Meadows East Cemetery in Gainesville, Fla., the same cemetery where his parents are buried, according to The Gainesville Sun. He is the father of Nancy Archibald of Lawton, according to U.S. Air Force Maj. Carie A. Parker, public affairs officer for the DPMO.

"My parents died not knowing what happened to their son," said Brown's 88-year-old sister Emma Jean Lunsford. "I am glad that he was at heaven's gate waiting for them when they got there."

Brown was born in Baleville, Ala., in 1923 and his family moved to Florida when he was a small child, according to an undated Gainesville Daily Sun article. He graduated from Gainesville High and attended the University of Florida before he entered the Army in 1941.

In late November 1950, Brown and elements of the 31st Regimental Combat Team, known as "Task Force Faith," were advancing along the eastern banks of the Chosin Reservoir, in North Korea. After coming under attack, they began a fighting withdrawal to positions near Hagaru-ri, south of the reservoir. During this withdrawal Brown was among more than 125 soldiers who went missing.

Read the Full Story...