Recognizing the Life of Pfc Jimmy Rowland

Floor Speech

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Mr. KELLY of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life of Private First Class Jimmy Rowland of Baldwyn Mississippi who was reported missing in action during the Korean War. In 1956, his remains were declared nonrecoverable. In November of 2021, Rowland's family was informed his remains were accounted for and will be brought back to Baldwyn for burial and a full military funeral.

In July of 1950 Jimmy Rowland, at 19 years old, came under heavy fire fighting North Korean forces at the Kum River north of Taejon, South Korea. He was a member of the Heavy Mortar Company, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He was reported wounded and then missing in action on July 16 and was dropped from his unit's rolls on August 16, 1950. In February of the next year, four sets of remains were found at the foot of a bridge west of the Seoul-Taejon main supply route. Three individuals were identified as members of the 19th infantry regiment but the fourth was not identified. These remains were designated as Unknown X-418 Tanggok, His remains, along with all other unidentified soldiers killed in the Korean War, were transported to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.

In July of 2018, anthropologists and historians from the Defense POW/ MIA Accounting Agency planned to identify the 652 Korean War casualties that remained unknown. On March 4, 2019, Rowland's remains were disinterred and transferred to the DPAA Laboratory at Joint Basse Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. Using dental and anthropological analysis as well as circumstantial evidence, scientists identified Jimmy Rowland.

Though many have passed on, it is expected 20 to 30 of Jimmy's family members will be in attendance at his funeral on Saturday. The Baldwyn community is grateful to honor Jimmy nearly 70 years after he was declared missing in action. Though thousands of casualties from the Korean War remain unidentified, I am thankful that one Mississippi soldier will return home to be honored by his family and community. I am grateful for the work of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency and express my most sincere condolences to Jimmy's family, friends, and loved ones.

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