Another Korean War soldier from the Capital Region has been accounted for. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced Wednesday that Army Corporal Walter Smead of Hadley was accounted for on March 16. Smead was 24 and a member of the 7th Infantry Division when he was reported missing in action in December 1950 — when his unit was attacked as it attempted to withdraw near the Chosin Reservoir. Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered.
After a 2018 meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korean Leader Kim Jong-Un, North Korea turned over remains of American service members killed in the war. Since then, U.S. officials have been working to identify the remains.
In April, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced Army Corporal Clifford Johnson of Valatie had been accounted for. The 20-year-old, also a member of the 7th Infantry Division, was reported missing during the same battle as Smead. Johnson was buried at Saratoga National Cemetery in May.
Smead will be buried at the Schuylerville site in September.
