WASHINGTON (WPRI) — The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified a Rhode Islander who died as a prisoner of war during the Korean War.
According to the DPAA, U.S. Army Sgt. Lawrence J. Robidoux, of Cumberland, was accounted for in January after scientists identified him using dental, anthropological, and DNA analysis.
The 22-year-old went missing in action on Nov. 27, 1950, in North Korea. He was a member of B Company, 1st Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division.
Other prisoners of war had reported Robidoux was taken prisoner and died in May 1951. North Korea later returned soldiers’ remains in 1954 but Robidoux’s remains were not found among them, according to officials.
The DPAA said Robidoux was determined “non-recoverable” in 1956. His remains were identified this year as part of a DPAA plan to dig up 652 unknown soldiers from a cemetery in Honolulu.
Robidoux will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
The DPAA is a government agency dedicated to working to identify Americans who went missing in action.
