ST. MARYS, Ohio (WLIO) – The St. Marys Alumni Association is continuing its efforts to collect signatures in hopes of bringing First Lieutenant Gene “Corky” Dennis home.
The group’s goal is to collect 10,000 signatures on petitions that will be delivered to state and national lawmakers. Their aim is to encourage the U.S. government to reach an agreement with North Korea to return the remains of Dennis and thousands of other soldiers who never came home from the Korean Conflict.
Dennis was shot down on September 28, 1952, during a bombing run over North Korea. His family members have provided a DNA sample in hopes of finding a match among the hundreds of unidentified remains. However, before testing can take place, the U.S. government must reach an agreement to retrieve the remains.
“It's, I guess, rather shocking that we could have over 7000 US soldiers missing in North Korea. 5300 of them are believed to be actually above the DMZ, and it's just shocking that we're not doing more to get their remains back. These men and women went to war expecting to come back and live a normal life and end up having them remain scattered in a field somewhere in North Korea,” said Kim Reiher of the St. Marys Alumni Association.
A petition is available to sign at the City of St. Marys building. Additional petitions will be available at events around St. Marys until the group reaches its goal of 10,000 signatures.
