WASHINGTON – Decades after he went missing in action, one Korean War soldier from the St. Louis area will have his remains returned home.

U.S. Army Master Sgt. Merritt L. Wynn was killed during the Korean War. His remains were identified last August, and direct family members were recently notified of his death.

According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Wynn went missing on Nov. 26, 1950. He fought with the Chinese People’s Volunteer Forces east of Unsan, North Korea. Following the battle, Wynn’s remains could not be recovered, and there was no evidence that he was ever a prisoner of war.

Wynn, a member of K Company, 3rd Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, was declared nonrecoverable on Jan. 16, 1956. He was later awarded the Silver Star for his leadership and bravery on the day of his disappearance.

In July 2018, North Korea turned over 55 boxes, purported to contain the remains of American service members killed during the Korean War. To identify remains, scientists from DPAA used dental, anthropological, and isotope analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Scientists the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System also conducted DNA testing.

Wynn’s name is displayed on the American Battle Monuments Commission’s Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with others still missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Wynn will be buried in Centralia, Illinois on a future date to be determined.