Wayne Minard knew he wanted to join the Army as a teen. When he was just 17, he got his mom to sign his enlistment papers so he could get a head start on a lifelong career in the military.
The Army took him to North Korea where he died just two short years after enlisting. His mom never forgave herself for signing those enlistment papers and she died less than a year after Wayne from a “broken heart.”
From The Washington Post:
Minard was reported missing in action on Nov. 26, 1950, the day after Chinese communist troops attacked United Nations forces and allies near the Chongchon River in North Korea, according to the Pentagon.
Minard’s unit was later ordered to withdraw. The farm boy from rural Kansas, then 19, was never seen or heard from again.
He was taken to a North Korean prison camp and starved there, Bruce Stubbs, Minard’s great-nephew, told The Washington Post.
On Feb. 16, 1951, Minard died, according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
Now, after 65 years, Minard is finally coming home. His remains will arrive in Wichita on Wednesday.
Wayne and his twin brother were the youngest of nine children. Only one sister was alive when his remains were discovered at a North Korean burial ground. She was ill when she was told that her younger brother was finally returning to be laid to rest. She smiled for the first time in a long time. Her nephew reports that she died shortly after that.
Wayne stepped up and served our country and he paid the ultimate price for it. His family never gave up on him. It took a lifetime to get him home, but he now is laid to rest where belongs.
Our Veterans and their families deserve much respect – share this to honor them!
H/T: Breaking 911
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