65 Years After Dying in POW Camp, Veteran Comes Home

Thanks to an 11-year effort by his nephew
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Aug 16, 2016 3:49 PM CDT
Remains of Korean War POW Return Home After 65 Years
The remains of Army Cpl. Ronald M. Sparks were returned to his hometown in Massachusetts 65 years after his death in the Korean War.   (Department of Defense via AP)

The remains of a Korean War veteran are back in his Massachusetts hometown 65 years after his death, thanks to his nephew's 11-year effort seeking their return, the AP reports. According to the Boston Globe, the remains of US Army Cpl. Ronald Sparks were flown from Hawaii to Boston's Logan International Airport on Tuesday. Sparks died in a North Korean POW camp in May 1951 at age 20. His remains had been interred at a military lab until he recently was identified through DNA testing.

Bob Sparks says he made it his mission to locate his uncle's remains following a deathbed plea from his father. He met his uncle only once, the night before he shipped out. Ronald Sparks was honored with a procession passing by his former Cambridge home. (More veterans stories.)

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