Remains of Korean War soldier returning home to Southern Illinois
FOX23 News at 9 p.m
NORRIS CITY, Ill., (KBSI) — The remains of a Southern Illinois soldier missing since the Korean War will return home Thursday, nearly 76 years after his disappearance.
Army Cpl. Jackie Lee Thurman of Norris City was 19 when he was reported missing in action Sept. 3, 1950. He was serving with Battery B, 99th Field Artillery Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division.
Thurman disappeared after attempting to escort an officer from a forward observation post that came under heavy mortar fire near Taegu, South Korea. He was officially presumed dead in 1953.
Unidentified remains recovered in South Korea in 1952 were later buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. They were exhumed in 2022 and identified as Thurman’s through modern forensic testing on May 18, 2026.
Thurman’s remains are expected to arrive at St. Louis Lambert International Airport around 2:45 p.m. Thursday. White County Sheriff Jordan Weiss will lead the procession through Jefferson County on Interstate 64 before continuing south to Norris City.
A graveside service with full military honors is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Cemetery near Norris City. Information is available online.
