– Opelika man still waiting for father’s remains to be returned from North Korea after 74 years
– Opelika man continues to wait for father’s remains to be returned from North Korea 74 years later.
Accident – Death – Obituary News :
COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) — As people gear up for the upcoming long Memorial Day weekend, one man in Opelika, Steve Penland, is facing a particularly challenging time. For him, this holiday of remembrance for the fallen is a poignant reminder of a lifetime of waiting for closure.
Penland’s story is one of service, sacrifice, and unresolved grief. His father, Sgt. First Class Raymond D. Penland, was ambushed by Chinese and North Korean forces in December 1950 when Penland was just nine months old.
Now 74 years old, Penland will spend this Memorial Day weekend, like many before it, searching for answers and closure. As a Gold Star son, he knows that his father was killed in action on December 16th, 1950 in what is now North Korea. When his father was killed, he had 32 cents, a lucky stone, the New Testament, two letters, and a compass in his pockets.
Sgt. 1st Class Penland was laid to rest in a United Nations cemetery in Hungnam, Korea, in a rain poncho and sleeping bag. He left behind his 23-year-old wife, Sara Helen, and two young sons.
Despite nearly three-quarters of a century passing, Penland’s father’s remains are still unaccounted for. This lingering uncertainty weighs heavily on Penland and his family.
Hope for Closure
Penland remains hopeful that one day the Department of Defense will be able to return to North Korea to excavate the remains of soldiers still missing from the conflict. More than 36,000 U.S. soldiers were killed in Korea, with over 7,600 still unaccounted for.
For Penland, every unidentified soldier represents a family member like himself, waiting for closure and answers. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency continues to work with families like the Penlands to bring their loved ones home from war, no matter how long it has been since the conflict ended.
There was a glimmer of hope a few years ago when North Korea returned some U.S. remains. However, the challenge lies in identifying these remains, as they are often commingled and may contain animal remains as well.
A Beacon of Hope
Last year, the remains of Marion County war hero Corporal Luther Story, who was killed days before Penland’s father in Korea, were identified and brought home. Story, a Medal of Honor recipient, was laid to rest in South Georgia, bringing a sense of hope to Penland and others still waiting for closure.
Despite the passage of time, Penland remains determined to honour his father’s memory and ensure that he is not forgotten, along with the many other service members still unaccounted for from wars past. He hopes that one day his father, and all those who have not yet been brought home, will finally receive the closure they deserve.
Now in his 70s, Penland and his brother Ray continue to hold on to hope, knowing that they have provided DNA samples to the Army in case their father’s remains are ever identified. The Korean War, often referred to as the Forgotten War, remains a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by so many, including Sgt. First Class Raymond D. Penland.
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Opelika man waiting for father’s remains returned North Korea
Opelika man still waiting father’s remains returned North Korea.
