Lost in 1950, Korean War Soldier Returns Home for Burial in Illinois

FORT KNOX, Ky. – The remains of U.S. Army Cpl. Jackie L. Thurman, 18, killed during the Korean War, will be interred Aug. 8 at Odd Fellows Cemetery in Norris City, Illinois. Services and interment are being coordinated by Campbell Funeral Home.

Thurman entered the service from Illinois and served with Battery B, 99th Field Artillery Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division. In early September of 1950, the North Korean People's Army launched a concerted attack against U.N. defensive lines around Pusan Harbor. On Sept. 3, North Korean units pounded elements of the 6th Cavalry Regiment west of Taegu where the Naktong River crosses the road to Taejon with a lengthy mortar attack. That day, Thurman went missing in action while manning a forward observation post for the 6th Cavalry Regiment that came under heavy mortar fire near Taegu. The officer in charge of the post became shellshocked, and Thurman attempted to escort him back to friendly lines. The two soldiers were not seen again.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency accounted for Thurman on May 18, 2026.

For more information on DPAA’s efforts to locate and identify Baker, please visit: https://dpaa-mil.sites.crmforce.mil/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000cdbJEAQ

U.S. Army Human Resources Command’s Past Conflict Repatriations Branch plays a vital role in the process of identifying, locating and contacting subsequent generation family members of Soldiers missing or killed in action during WWII and the Korean War to positively identify previously undiscovered or unknown remains.

Media interested in covering and/or obtaining more information about the funeral and interment should contact Campbell Funeral Home, 618-378-3811.