Brooklyn soldier killed in Korean War is finally laid to rest

September 29, 2021 Jaime DeJesus
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Army Pfc. Raymond A. Smith is finally home.

Smith was 18 when he was killed during the early months of the Korean War. Family, friends, Port Authority Police and a full U.S. military honor guard were waiting at JFK International Airport when the casket holding his remains arrived Sept. 22. 

A wake for the Sunset Park native took place at Clavin Funeral Home in Bay Ridge and he was buried in Green-Wood Cemetery Sept. 25.

Army Pfc. Raymond A. Smith was laid to rest in Green-Wood Cemetery/ Photos courtesy of John Quaglione

Smith was a member of Company A, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Dec. 2, 1950 during the weeks-long battle of Chosin Reservoir.

His remains were identified in March. They were found in one of 55 boxes filled with possible remains of U.S. service members that were sent to the U.S. in 2018 after a summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un.

The boxes were sent to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii and analyzed by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. Scientists used anthropological analysis and circumstantial evidence to identify Smith’s remains.

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