Korean War vet laid to rest 66 years after disappearance

Rex Cummings laid his father to rest Saturday, giving final honors to a hero he never knew.

Rex Cummings was born was born two months after his father, Sfc. Robert Roy Cummings, went missing in Korea. Robert Roy Cummings' remains were found in November, more than half a century after he disappeared.

"I can't explain it, 66 years of emotions flooding, but the main thing is that I have got my dad back home," Rex Cummings said. "It's closure for the family, his brothers and sisters."

Robert Roy Cummings was deployed to fight in the Korean war in 1950 by the Truman administration. He was part of the 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment based at Fort Campbell.

During the reconnaissance, Cummings' patrol was ambushed near Hajoyang in the Democratic Republic of Korea. The U.S. Army declared Sgt. Cummings missing in action in Nov. 1950. He was 20 years old at the time.

Saturday's ceremony in Clarskville brought some closure to his family after the ordeal.

Identifying Sfc. Cummings

After the remains were found, scientists from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used circumstantial evidence, dental comparison, and forensic identification tools, including mitochondrial DNA analysis, Y-chromosome short tandem repeat DNA analysis and autosomal (nuclear) DNA testing, which matched a sister and a brother.

The Ambush

An estimated 300,000 soldiers of the Chinese People’s Volunteer Forces attacked Sfc. Cummings' unit during an allied movement north near the Yalu River.

In a news release, the DPAA said Sgt. Cummings' unit was facing constrictive terrain, poor weather conditions and were outnumbered.

"The advancing U.S. forces were facing unfavorable circumstances. The 187th regiment was moved to positions along the Chongchon and Kuryong rivers in order to preserve lines of communication. The regiment assembled a reconnaissance patrol to gather enemy information on Nov. 29, 1950, when it encountered an enemy ambush near Hajoyang, North Korea. Following this ambush, Cummings was declared missing in action."

Final correspondence

Sfc. Cummings wrote a letter to his wife inquiring how their baby was doing 10 days before he was declared missing.

It remains Rex Cummings’ most prized possession.

“I’ll never forget what the letter said, he was asking about the baby, he said he couldn’t wait to get back home, he told my mom how much he loved her,” Rex Cummings said. “He thought they would be home by Christmas.”

The letter was the final correspondence between Sgt. Cummings and his family.

“That letter means a lot,” Rex Cummings said.

Tennessee Department of Veteran Services Commissioner Many Bears-Grinder honored Rex Cummings with a lapel pin and the Tennessee flag.

"Gov. Haslam wants to thank you for your sacrifice," Bears-Grinder told the family.

Rex Cummings said he wants everyone to know that the U.S. Army doesn't leave anybody behind.

"I lost my dad but I gained a family," he said.

7,762 Americans continue to remain unaccounted for from the Korean War.

Rex Cummings' said he wants to tell families still in search of their loved one to "never ever give up, they (U.S. Army) are always looking."

Sfc. Cummings was laid to rest at the Resthaven Memorial Gardens.

Reach government reporter Pranaav Jadhav at pjadhav@theleafchronicle.com, 931-245-0742 and on Twitter @pranaavj.