BOSTON — Military officials say the remains of a Massachusetts Korean War soldier who died in a prisoner of war camp in 1951 have been positively identified and will be returned to his family for burial.
The Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced Friday that Army Cpl. Ronald M. Sparks, of Cambridge, is scheduled to be buried with full military honors Aug. 19 in Everett.
The 19-year-old Sparks was reported missing on Feb. 12, 1951, while his unit was clearing a road block in South Korea held by enemy forces.
A former American POW reported that Sparks died several months later in a North Korean POW camp.
Even though Sparks' remains were returned to the U.S. in 1954 they were not identified until late last year by scientists using modern technology.
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