Remains of local Korean War soldier identified almost 70 years after he went MIA

Another local hero will be returning to Whitley County as officials with the U.S. Department of Defense recently announced that the remains of Army Corporal Billie Joe Hash have been positively identified.

Hash, who served with the Headquarters Battery, 57^th Field Artillery Battalion, 7^th Infantry Division, was reported missing in action on Dec. 6, 1950, following an attack by Chinese Communist Forces on the east side of the Chosin Reservoir in the northeast part of North Korea. He was 18 years old.

After fighting off approximately 120,000 Chinese troops who had encircled the 30,000 United Nations troops for 17 days, those remaining were able to break out and fight their way to the port of Hungnam where they were evacuated by sea.

The fighting in Korea continued until the ceasefire was signed on July 27, 1953.

Hash remained missing in action and was presumed dead.

For his service, Hash earned the Purple Heart, Korean Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Presidential Unit Citation, and Republic of Korea War Service.

The family placed a memorial marker at Worley Cemetery off of Fifth Street in Corbin among the family graves that include his parent’s, brother and sister.

In 2018, North Korean officials turned over 55 boxes of remains following a summit between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

The boxes were returned to the Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam, Hawaii on Aug. 1, 2018.

Officials announced the positive identification on May 27.

Cpl. Hash was the great uncle of Joe Hash of Corbin.

Joe said Billie Joe’s brothers, John and Jennings, had each provided DNA’s sample, which were used to confirm Billie Joe’s identity.

“I always wondered if he would be found,” Joe said, noting he recalled a picture of Billie Joe that remained at Joe’s grandfather’s house. “When my cousin called me and told me, it made the hair stand up on my arms.”

Billie Joe’s niece, Peggy Bishop, said she and other younger family members came to know him through stories about him that were frequently shared by the family.

“We all grew up hearing about him and what happened,” Bishop said. “Everyone is so excited that he is finally coming home.”

Arrangements are underway for Cpl. Hash to be buried with his family on August 29.

In addition, his name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with others who are still missing from the Korean War.

A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate that he has been accounted for. According to officials, 1,587 U.S. service members from the Korean War remain unaccounted for.

In September, the remains of U.S. Navy Motor Machinist’s Mate First Class Ulis C. Steely, who was killed when the battleship USS Oklahoma was sunk during the Imperial Japanese Navy’s attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, were returned to Whitley County for burial alongside his family.

Steely’s remains had been buried in Hawaii, along with other unknown military members killed that day, until 2015 when they were exhumed for DNA analysis.

Steely’s remains were positively identified on Nov. 14, 2018.