The Duty to Remember: Identifying POW/MIA from the Korean War (Part 2 of an interview with Dr. Jennie Jin of the DPAA)

We continue our series on the Duty to Remember by once again welcoming special guest, Dr. Jennie Jin, a forensic anthropologist who works for the DPAA (Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency). Last week, in Part 1 of this interview, Dr. Jin talked about her work as leader of the Korean War Identification Project of the DPAA. She discussed the circumstances surrounding the recent identification of PFC John Shelemba of Hamtramck, Michigan. In dialogue with PFC Shelemba’s niece, Michele Vance, Dr. Jin explained why the remains known as “X-251 Taejon” were disinterred from the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, and how, through various methods, were determined to be PFC Shelemba. In this show, Dr. Jin discusses another recent identification of Michigander SFC Jesse “Johnnie” Hill of Highland Park. Rather than being disinterred from the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, the remains of SFC Hill were handed over by the DPRK (North Korea) in 2018 pursuant to an agreement between President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un. In this show, we discuss SFC Hill’s identification and how the Korean War Identification Project not only impacts families, but also political cooperation amongst the U.S. and the two Koreas.