The Selection
In 1955, at the
urgent request of the American Veterans of World War II (AMVETS), the
Army was asked to proceed with the selection and burial of an Unknown
Soldier to represent the Korean War.
A bill was
introduced to Congress, under which an unknown soldier from the Korean
War would be returned to Arlington National Cemetery. A House
subcommittee amended the bill, to provide that the burial of an Unknown
Soldier from Korea should take place on Memorial Day 1958 in conjunction
with the burial of the World War II Unknown Soldier. This amended bill
was as Public Law 975, 84th Congress.
The National
Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific was the setting for selection ceremony
since all of the unknown war dead of the Korean War had been assembled
and buried there. From the grassy oval plot opposite the flagpole
and the entrance, the entire cemetery was in view, lush and green, with
the blue-green water of the Pacific Ocean and famous Diamond Head Crater
as a backdrop. It was an inspiring ceremony amid beautiful surroundings.
Months of planning preceded the execution of the ceremony on
May
15, 1958.
Pre-Selection
- May 1958
Four Unknown
Candidates were selected for the final ceremony, and placed inside
caskets draped with the American flag. They were chosen from a number of
unidentifiable remains. Once selected, the remains were escorted
by the Hawaii Armed Services Police, to the Army's mortuary at Kapalama
Basin, to be inspected and re-casketed. Since no clues to identity
were found with any of the remains it was not necessary to exhume
alternate remains, which had been earmarked for such an eventuality. The
four sets of remains were then wrapped in new burial sheets and
blankets, and placed in four new identical caskets.
To assure further
that the remains would always be unidentifiable, the exhumation group
gathered together all local records concerning the cases and executed a
certificate of destruction.
Once the remains
had been re-casketed for the selection ceremony, they were placed in a
special room at the mortuary, with a Military Police guard on constant
duty. With one exception, no one was allowed to enter the room
unless accompanied and observed by the guard. The day before the
selection ceremony, a US Army Colonel entered the room alone, for the
purpose of rearranging the caskets.
Final
Selection - 15 May 1958
Early that morning
the four caskets were placed in hearses and transported to the cemetery,
under escort by the Armed Services Police. The
ceremony began with the invocation by Chaplain (Colonel) F. B. Henry.
A brief address by Lieutenant General Robert M. Cannon followed, where
he introduced Master Sergeant Ned Lyle, who was designated to select the
Korean War Unknown Soldier.
MSG Lyle, a
recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross for heroic action in Korea,
took a wreath of blue and white carnations (representing the Korean
Service Medal) and stood for approximately one minute facing the four
caskets, deliberating and looking at each one.
He then walked
smartly to the end casket at his left, and placed the wreath. After
taking one step backward, he rendered the hand salute.
A benediction
concluded the official ceremony, but everyone remained in place while
the Korean War Unknown Soldier was moved to the flagpole, to lie in
repose until that afternoon.
The
three Unknowns who subsequently were not selected to represent the Korean
conflict were reburied in the National Memorial Cemetery of the
Pacific, in June
1958.
