Michigan man killed in Korean War finally accounted for after over 70 years

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - A Detroit man who died in the Korean War has finally been accounted for after being missing for 72 years.

18-year-old U.S. Army Cpl. Lewis Hill, from Detroit, was killed during the Korean War sometime in 1950.

According to The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA,) Hill belonged to L Company, 3rd Battalion, 34th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. Hill went missing in action (MIA) after his unit was forced to retreat from Taejon, South Korea on July 20, 1950.

Hill went missing during the retreat. No body was ever linked to Hill, and there was no evidence of him being taken as a prisoner.

The United States regained control of the area in the fall of that year. One unknown set of remains was recovered from the area and sent to the National Cemetary of the Pacific in Honolulu. Despite finding remains, the body was never linked to Hill. He was presumed dead on Dec. 31, 1953.

In July 2018, the DPAA began testing 652 unidentified Korean War bodies laid to rest in the National Cemetary. His body was eventually linked to the unknown remains after multiple DNA and medical tests.

Hill was first accounted for in May 2023, but his family was notified in September.

Hill will be buried in Imlay, Michigan.

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