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As DNA Technology Advances, What Does It Mean To Be An Unknown Soldier?

WUNC News | By Frank Stasio,
Laura Pellicer
Published December 5, 2018 at 12:43 PM EST

The Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs are digging up hundreds of soldiers from the Korean War as part of a massive identification project. The disinterment operation is taking place at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu and is based on recent advances in DNA and forensic technology. 650 Korean War dead will be exhumed. 

WUNC Military Reproter Jay Price talks with host Frank Stasio about identifying unknown soldiers through advanced DNA testing.

WUNC Military Reporter Jay Price talks to Frank Stasio about his reporting trip to Honolulu to speak with scientists who are bringing new hope to thousands of aging family members.

Once-nameless troops are exumed at National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.
Jay Price / WUNC
/
WUNC
Once-nameless troops are exumed at National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.
The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu
Jay Price / WUNC
/
WUNC
The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu
Corporal Kenneth Reese (left) and Christine Porter were married for only one week before Reese deployed to fight in the Korean War. She never saw her husband again.
Jay Price / WUNC
/
WUNC
Corporal Kenneth Reese (left) and Christine Porter were married for only one week before Reese deployed to fight in the Korean War. She never saw her husband again.
The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu
Jay Price / WUNC
/
WUNC
The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu

Copyright 2018 North Carolina Public Radio
Frank Stasio
Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.
See stories by Frank Stasio
Laura Pellicer
Laura Pellicer is a producer with The State of Things (hyperlink), a show that explores North Carolina through conversation. Laura was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, a city she considers arrestingly beautiful, if not a little dysfunctional. She worked as a researcher for CBC Montreal and also contributed to their programming as an investigative journalist, social media reporter, and special projects planner. Her work has been nominated for two Canadian RTDNA Awards. Laura loves looking into how cities work, pursuing stories about indigenous rights, and finding fresh voices to share with listeners. Laura is enamored with her new home in North Carolina—notably the lush forests, and the waves where she plans on moonlighting as a mediocre surfer.
See stories by Laura Pellicer