Note: Pfc. Turbeville was accounted for back in February, but his family only recently received their full briefing on his identification, which is why this release is going out now.
WASHINGTON—The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced that Army Pfc. Michaux Turbeville, 31, of Dillon, South Carolina, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for Feb. 16, 2021.
In late 1950, Turbeville was a member of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Dec. 1, 1950, after his unit was attacked by enemy forces as they attempted to withdraw near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea. Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered.
On July 27, 2018, following the summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un in June 2018, North Korea turned over 55 boxes, purported to contain the remains of American service members killed during the Korean War. The remains arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii on Aug. 1, 2018, and were subsequently accessioned into the DPAA laboratory for identification.
To identify Turbeville’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y chromosome (Y-STR) analysis.
Turbeville’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with the others who are still missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Turbeville will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. The date has yet to be determined.
