Although the POW/MIA flag arose out of a movement of families (primarily wives) who demanded an accounting of their loved ones who were captured or missing during the Vietnam War, every U.S. war, including the U.S. Civil War, includes stories of the unaccounted for.
It was not until the Korean War (1950-1953) that the United States' commitment to identifying and repatriating all personnel began to be implemented.
Private First Class (Pfc) John Shelemba of Hamtramck, Michigan, left for Korea sometime in 1950. He served in Company L, 3rd Battalion, 34th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, and went missing in action on July 20 1950, during his unit’s defense of Taejon, South Korea. The battle of Taejon is crucial for understanding the No Gun Ri incident. Indeed, understanding the story of Pfc Shelemba is a way to "enter the forest" of No Gun Ri incident, and hence the Korean War. The news clipping below from the August 25, 1950 Detroit Free Press lists Pfc Shelemba as among the missing from Michigan.
Remains were recovered from Taejon but Pfc Shelemba could not be identified. These remains were buried as an unknown X-251 Taejon at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii. In 2018, these remains were exhumed as part of DPAA’s effort to identify all Korean War unknowns. The recovery location of the unknown's remains helps to establish a possible association with Pfc Shelemba. Analysts used dental, anthropological, and chest radiograph comparison analyses to successfully identify Pfc Shelemba. They also used "circumstantial evidence" which is discussed in the podcast episodes which can be accessed here. On September 13, 2019, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Pfc John Albert Shelemba.
Pfc Shelemba was laid to rest at Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly, Michigan in November 2021. His father, (George Sr.), mother (Mary) and brother (George Jr.) are, unfortunately, all deceased. The Army eventually reached out to his niece, Michele Vance (Grand Ledge) who never knew she had an "Uncle John". Nevertheless, she felt duty bound to see to his homecoming. A video of this moving occasion can be seen on this page. "Duty to Remember" honors the sacrifice of the Shelemba family, and all families, by remembering him and learning more about him and his family. Pfc Shelemba's story provides a compelling and meaningful way to educate our community about the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the way in which families have been instrumental in the development and implementation of more humane norms governing armed conflict, and related philosophical issues related to the moral obligations of individuals, of nations and of the international community. There are no known photographs of him. Should you have any information about PFC Shelemba, please contact us at; hope@dutytoremember.com.
To read the news release of Shelemba's identification, CLICK HERE.
To view PFC Shelemba's Personnel File, CLICK HERE.
Shelemba is memorialized in perpetuity at the Courts of the Missing (Court 6) within the Honolulu Memorial which is part of The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. CLICK HERE to view his entry and print his Korean Honor Roll Certificate .
The Homecoming of PFC John Albert Shelemba (November 2-4, 2021)
PFC (Private First Class) John Albert Shelemba of Hamtramck, Michigan went missing in action on July 20, 1950 during the fierce battle of Taejon during the beginning of the Korean War (1950-1953). Unidentified remains known as X-251 Taejon were finally identified in 2019 by the Korean War Identification Project of the DPAA (Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency) as PFC John Albert Shelemba. Over 70 years after he first went missing, on November 4, 2021, PFC Shelemba was finally laid to rest. This video shows is return to Michigan from the labs of the DPAA in Honolulu, Hawaii.
There are 2 podcast episodes that are focused on the story of Pfc John Shelemba. They are to your right and include Dr. Jennie Jin of the DPAA who identified Pfc Shelemba, as well as family member, Michele Vance. The podcasts are episodes of "The Virtues of Peace," an initiative of The Cora di Brazzà Foundation. To learn more click the banner to the left. Subscribe at your favorite podcast provider below. Other podcasts concerning the story of Newk Grubb, and the activism of his wife, Evelyn are available here.
Photo credit: Tara Copp/Military Times
In honor of Veterans Day, we continue our series on the Duty to Remember by welcoming special guest, Dr. Jennie Jin, a forensic anthropologist who works for the DPAA (Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency). Dr. Jin leads to the Korean War Identification Project of the DPAA. Under her leadership, hundreds of missing US service members who fought in the Korean War have been identified. In this special episode, Dr. Jin discusses her work, and two recent identifications of Michiganders who fought in the Korean War: PFC John Shelemba of Hamtramck, and SFC Jesse “Johnnie” Hill of Highland Park. Dr. Jin discusses the different circumstances surrounding these identifications, the different methodologies used in each, the respective challenges that are faced in these identifications, and how this work is not only important to the families of the missing, but also to international cooperation, especially involving the U.S., ROK (South Korea) and DPRK (North Korea).
2. Article from Time magazine featuring Dr. Jennie Jin
3. Article from the National Committee of North Korea on the cooperation between the U.S. and the DPRK on Korean War remains
4. DPAA article on the identification of PFC John Shelemba of Hamtramck, Michigan
5. DPAA article on the identification of SFC Jesse "Johnnie" Hill of Highland Park, Michigan
6. Video from Arirang TV on the work of the South Korean counterpart of the DPAA, MAKRI (Ministry of National Defense Agency for the Killed in Action Recovery Identification )
7. Registration for The Fruits of Peace Veterans Day Event at the Steinbeck Center (online/free)
Photo credit: Caleb Jones/AP
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 inteview, 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.
2. SFC Jesse Hill's entry at the American Battle Monuments Commission
3. DPAA article on the identification of SFC Jesse "Johnnie" Hill of Highland Park, Michigan
4. Article on other Michiganders identified who were part of the 55 boxes turned over by the DPRK in 2018.
5. List of the Korean War Unaccounted for from Michigan
6. Article from the National Committee of North Korea on the cooperation between the U.S. and the DPRK on Korean War remains
7. Video from Arirang TV on the work of the South Korean counterpart of the DPAA, MAKRI (Ministry of National Defense Agency for the Killed in Action Recovery Identification )
