Governor and First Lady Honor Army Cpl. Edward Pool

Published:

SACRAMENTO – On behalf of all Californians, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. and First Lady Anne Gust Brown honor Army Cpl. Edward Pool, a U.S. serviceman killed during the Korean War.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced this week that Army Cpl. Pool’s remains have been identified. He will be buried on June 19 with full military honors.

Army Cpl. Edward Pool, 22, of Paso Robles, CA, bravely gave his life in service to our state and nation and the Governor and First Lady extend their deepest condolences to his family and friends. In memorial, Governor Brown ordered that flags be flown at half-staff over the State Capitol. Army Cpl. Pool’s family will receive a letter of condolence from the Governor.

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The following information was provided by DPAA:

In November 1950, Army Cpl. Pool was a member of 31st Heavy Mortar Company, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. Approximately 2,500 U.S. and 700 South Korean soldiers assembled into the 31st Regimental Combat Team (RCT), which was deployed east of the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea, when it was engaged by overwhelming numbers of Chinese forces. By December 6, the U.S. Army had evacuated approximately 1,500 wounded service members; the remaining soldiers had been either captured or killed in enemy territory. Because Army Cpl. Pool could not be accounted for by his unit at the end of the battle, he was reported missing in action as of November 30, 1950.

Army Cpl. Pool’s name appeared on a list provided by the Chinese People’s Volunteer Forces and Korean People’s Army as a prisoner of war. Following the war, one returning American prisoner reported that Army Cpl. Pool had died in January 1951. Based on this information, the U.S. Army declared him deceased as of January 31, 1951.

Between 1990 and 1994, North Korea returned 208 boxes of commingled human remains to the U.S., which we determined to contain the remains of at least 400 U.S. servicemen who fought during the war. North Korean documents included in the repatriation indicate that some of the remains were recovered from the vicinity of where Army Cpl. Pool was believed to have died.

Scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used DNA analysis and circumstantial evidence in the identification of the remains.

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