A Ridgway soldier who vanished during the Korean War in 1951 is finally being laid to rest this week, after advances in DNA technology allowed the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency to identify remains that had gone unrecovered for more than seven decades. Funeral services for Army Sgt. Henry L. Huber are scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 12, at 11 a.m. at the Bible Training Center along Evergreen Drive in Ridgway, with interment to follow at Ott Cemetery in his hometown.
According to DVIDS, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency formally accounted for Huber on Jan. 20, 2026. He had been a member of Company M, 3rd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, in the spring of 1951 when his unit's position was overrun. DVIDS reports he was reported missing in action on May 18, 1951, in the vicinity of Han’gye, South Korea, though Legacy.com places the site of his disappearance near Chaun-ni, South Korea — the two accounts differ on the exact location. His remains were never recovered during or after the war, and the Army issued a presumptive finding of death on Dec. 31, 1953, per the same DVIDS account.
A local report from WTAJ, citing Krise Family Funeral Homes, said it was advancements in DNA technology that ultimately made Huber's identification possible this year. The station also reported that Huber was honored with the Silver Star, Purple Heart, Presidential Unit Citation, National Defense Service Medal, and Korean Service Medal for his service.
A Decades-Long Wait Finally Ends
DVIDS and Legacy.com also disagree on Huber's rank: DVIDS identifies him as a U.S. Army sergeant, while Legacy.com refers to him as a corporal. Those conflicting details remain unresolved in the available reporting. What is not in dispute is where he is headed next — DVIDS reports that Huber's remains will be interred at Ott Cemetery in Ridgway. WTAJ reported on the service arrangements, citing Krise Family Funeral Homes.
Huber's homecoming follows a broader pattern of long-delayed identifications reaching families across the country this year. In North Texas, the remains of Sonny Tischler, who went missing at age 21 shortly after beginning his Korean War tour, were returned home more than 75 years later after DNA testing, as reported by CBS News Texas. That same account said Tischler's family learned he had likely died from a sniper's bullet on the day he disappeared, with his funeral held in Pilot Point.
Another Pennsylvania Soldier Found This Year
Another Pennsylvania Soldier Found This Year About four months before Huber's identification became public, another Pennsylvania native's long wait ended as well. FOX56's Sept. 11, 2026, report on Guinther's identification came about 53 days before WTAJ reported Huber's identification on Nov. 3, 2026. Army Cpl. Harry J. Guinther, a Locustdale soldier reported missing in action on Sept. 1, 1950, at age 20, was identified by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency on June 26, 2026, following a years-long reexamination that relied on military records, DNA, dental comparisons, forensic anthropology and isotope testing, according to FOX56. That outlet reported Guinther's remains had been disinterred from the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in 2021 and sent to a DPAA laboratory, where examiners ultimately certified his cause of death as a gunshot wound to the head and classified the manner of death as homicide. FOX56 reported that his funeral and burial were scheduled for September 17–18.
These identifications are part of a larger effort by military investigators to close the books on missing-in-action cases from past conflicts.
For Ridgway, the focus this week turns to honoring one of its own. Huber's funeral will bring a 75-year search to its final chapter when he is laid to rest at Ott Cemetery, as previously reported by The Ridgway Record.
