A Kentucky soldier executed in the “Sunchon Tunnel Massacre” during the Korean War has been identified.
U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Raymond E. Hall, of Whitley County, was killed on October 30, 1950, but was not accounted for until May 10, 2024. Hall’s family was not fully briefed on the positive identification until recently, according to the governor’s office.
“We owe a debt to those who are working so diligently to identify our unknown heroes from past wars,” Gov. Andy Beshear said. “While it is heartbreaking to learn about the loss of this Korean War soldier, it is also healing to be able to finally bring him home.”
In July 1950, Hall was a member of Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division.
“He was originally reported missing in action on July 31 after his unit engaged in intensive combat actions against North Korean People’s Army (NKPA) forces in the vicinity of Sunchon, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,” the governor’s office said.
Hall, though, had actually been captured by enemy forces and was being transported north with other POWs when NKPA guards suddenly executed him and 65 other U.S. POWs in what would become known as the “Sunchon Tunnel Massacre.”
The remains of the men were found by U.S. forces the following day and were transported to the United Nations Military Cemetery (UNMC) Pyongyang for temporary interment.
Hall was initially identified by FBI fingerprint comparison while at UNMC, but Pyongyang had to be evacuated due to enemy activity and his remains were not recovered.
“Following the war, in 1954, the opposing nations reached an agreement to exchange war dead, the execution of which was known as Operation GLORY,” the governor’s office said. “One set of Unknown remains, designated X-17101 OP GLORY, was not accompanied by any clothing, personal effects or identification media.”
While Hall had been previously identified, U.S. Army Central Identification investigators could not correlate X-17101 with Hall at the time. Those remains were then sent to Hawaii where they were buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
In August 2017, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) personnel exhumed Unknown X-17101 from the Punchbowl and sent the remains to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
“To identify Hall’s remains, scientists from the DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as chest radiograph comparison and circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA analysis,” according to the governor’s office.
Hall’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are still missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Hall will be buried in Calverton, New York, on October 21, 2024.
Beshear will order flags lowered to half-staff in honor of Hall on the day of interment.
(Photo: Sgt. 1st Class Raymond E. Hall, courtesy of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency)
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
