      A soldier from Valentine is returning home, more than 70 years after he was declared Missing In Action during the Korean War.Â
PFC Dale Thompson was 18 when he was apparently killed December 2, 1950 when his platoon was ambushed at the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea.
With the U-S Army retreating, Thompson’s body could not be recovered and there is no historical evidence that he was a prisoner of war.
Along with thousands of others missing and presumed dead in Korea, Thompson’s name was recorded at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu, Hawaii.
       North Korea in recent years has turned over to the U-S partial, unidentified remains several times, including in July 2018.Â
After 4 years of painstaking research and DNA testing, Thompson’s remains were identified last November by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. A rosette will be placed next to his name in Hawaii to indicate he has been accounted for.
Cherry County Veterans Service Officer Shawn Hamling says Thompson’s remains are being flown to Omaha today, then driven to Valentine on Hwys 275 and 20 with an escort of VFW and Legion Riders.
The entourage is expected to arrive in Valentine sometime between 6:30 and 7:30 CT tonight
A funeral with full military honors will then be held Friday morning at 11:00 at Mount Hope Cemetery in Valentine. Thompson’s remaining family will be presented with a Purple Heart as part of the service.