Army Pfc. Louis N. Crosby, 18, was reported missing in action on Dec. 1, 1950, after his unit was attacked by enemy forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea. (Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency)
ORANGEBBURG, S.C. (Tribune News Service) — Mac Crosby never got to meet his uncle, but he’s ready for him to come home.
Army Pfc. Louis N. Crosby, 18, was a member of Company A, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division.
He was reported missing in action on Dec. 1, 1950, after his unit was attacked by enemy forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea.
Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered.
On July 27, 2018, following a summit between then- U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un, North Korea turned over 55 boxes which had been purported to contain the remains of American service members killed during the Korean War.
The remains arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, on Aug. 1, 2018, and were then sent to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency laboratory for identification.
The agency announced on Thursday that Louis Crosby’s remains of were accounted for on April 21, 2020.
Scientists from the DPAA used anthropological analysis and circumstantial evidence to identify Crosby’s remains. Scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System also used mitochondrial DNA analysis.
Mac Crosby said his 92-year-old father, Henry M. Crosby Sr., is especially looking forward to having the remains of his youngest brother arrive home.
“When my uncle went off in the service and all, he never saw him anymore since then. That’s been 71 years ago. My dad’s 92. He’s been kind of looking forward to that happening, especially when they gave him the call,” Mac Crosby said.
“They took his DNA a few years back so they would have that on file. Then when they brought the remains over, they did identify him as one of them,” he said.
He continued, “They let us know that a while back, just before COVID came in. Then with the COVID pandemic, they had to stop with all that.”
A memorial service is scheduled for Aug. 18, which would have been the soldier’s 89 birthday. A time has not been set.
Crosby said his uncle will be buried in Crestlawn Cemetery next to his parents. Thompson’s Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Crosby’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, 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.
“My dad’s looking forward to him getting home. They’re going to bury him at Crestlawn right next to his mom and dad. We’re going to have that set up for them so they’ll have that done. I never knew him because he was gone before I was even born or anything like that. So I personally didn’t know him at all, but my dad talked highly of him,” Crosby said.
“It was his youngest brother. My dad’s the only surviving one out of all of them. So it was kind of good for him to know that his brother was coming back home. He was really excited about that. We’re really looking forward to getting him home and having a memorial for him,” he said.
Crosby said the memorial service for his uncle will be a special one.
“We’re really looking forward to it. One of the guys at the VFW is interested in getting some things done with it. We’ve actually talked to one of the guys that my first cousin knows real well.
“He’s talking about doing a little flyover-type thing that they do for military. Of course, we’ve got the full military ceremony coming with the 21-gun salute, folding of the flag, pall bearers, and all that good stuff. We would like for the community to know that he’s coming home, that’s for sure,” he said.
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