James Nelson Stryker was a United States Army soldier who went missing in action during the Korean War on May 18, 1951. His remains were later recovered that month but were not identified until August 5, 2020.
Biography[]
James Stryker was born on January 22, 1931, in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, to Adonis and Marguerite Stryker. Growing up, he had one older brother, Gordon, and attended the West Nanticoke Methodist Church. James attended Harter High School and graduated from Meyers High School in 1948.
In September 1949, James enlisted in the United States Army. After receiving training at Fort Dix, New Jersey and Fort Lewis, Washington, he was deployed to the Korean peninsula in August 1950. He obtained the rank of Sergeant and was a member of Company L, 3rd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division.
Between May 16-22, 1951, the American 2nd Infantry Division, the Republic of Korea's I and III Corps, and two French and Dutch battalions, as part of the United Nations Command, fought against the Chinese People's Volunteer Army's 12th, 15th, and 27th Armies and North Korea's II and V Corps at the Battle of Soyang River during the Spring Offensive. The objective of the Chinese and North Koreans was to sever the six Republic of Korea Army (ROK) divisions on the eastern front from the remainder of the United States 8th Army and annihilate them and the 2nd Infantry Division.
During the battle, James was declared missing in action on May 18, when his unit was fighting enemy forces at the villages of Han'gye and Chaun-Ni, South Korea. The battle ended with a United Nations victory, and on May 20, 1951, the UN began May-June counteroffensive which by mid-June had erased all PVA/KPA gains in the Spring Offensive.
Aftermath[]
James was not among the prisoners of war or identified remains recovered when the Korean War ended on July 27, 1953. He was declared dead on December 31, 1953. For his heroic leadership and valor, he was awarded the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Combat Infantryman's Badge, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation, and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal. Additionally, he was memorialized in Court 8 of the Honolulu Memorial Courts of the Missing in Honolulu, Hawaii, the National Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., and Edgehill Cemetery in West Nanticoke.
In May 1951, the skeletal remains of an unknown soldier were recovered from the area James disappeared. After a preliminary examination at the United Nations Military Cemetery at Tanggok, South Korea, the remains could not be identified and were buried as "Unknown X-1373 Tanggok". Eventually, all of the unidentified American remains buried at the cemetery were reburied as unknowns at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, AKA the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
Identification[]
In May 2017, the family of a missing soldier who disappeared around the same area James requested X-1373 be disinterred for comparison. While the DPAA historian and forensic anthropologist determined the missing soldier was not X-1373, they believed he could be James or five other soldiers. After being disinterred on August 20, 2018, X-1373 was sent to the DPAA Laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor/Hickam, Hawaii, for analysis.
At the lab, DPAA scientists used anthropological analysis and circumstantial evidence, and scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, to identify X-1373. X-1373 was identified as James Nelson Stryker on August 5, 2020. By the time of his identification, his parents and brother had already passed away. He will be buried in San Antonio, Texas. The date has yet to be determined.
Gallery[]
Sources[]
- Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
- James Stryker (Edgehill Cemetery) at Find a Grave
- James Stryker (Honolulu Memorial) at Find a Grave
- James Stryker (National Korean War Veterans Memorial) at Find a Grave
- Battle of the Soyang River on Wikipedia