INDIANAPOLIS (WANE) – A Hoosier soldier killed during the Korean War has been identified after more than 70 years.
Army Master Sgt. Wallace Simmons Jr., 36, of Indianapolis was killed in action on Dec. 6, 1950, according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA). Simmons was a member of the Headquarters Battery, 57th Field Artillery Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division and was killed after his unit was engaged with enemy forces near North Korea’s Chosin Reservoir, according to the DPAA.
His remains weren’t recovered after the battle, and while details of his death couldn’t be traced, there was no record that he was held captive as a prisoner of war, the DPAA said.
On July 27, 2018, a month after former President Donald Trump met with North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Un, North Korea turned over 55 boxes said to contain remains of American soldiers killed during the war. The remains arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii on Aug. 1, 2018, and were taken to the DPAA laboratory for identification.