Family learns the fate of Korean War veteran
BUTLER TWP — After decades of waiting, a Butler County family has been reunited with the remains of a U.S. Army soldier killed in one of the decisive battles of the Korean War.
Master Sgt. George R. Housekeeper Jr. was already a veteran of one war, and was the father of two sons — one 16 months old and another just six weeks old — when he left home to fight in the Korean War.
According to Army records compiled as part of the investigation into Housekeeper's death, his last mission came as part of General Douglas MacArthur's plan to drive the North Korean and Chinese forces north from Yalu River in 1950.
In 1956, the Army declared Housekeeper's remains nonrecoverable, after an agreement that repatriated the remains of thousands of American soldiers killed in Korea turned up no trace of him.
Housekeeper's sons, George III and Danny, both of whom live in Butler County, said they never thought they would live to see their father's remains buried on American soil.
But in June, Army officials came calling with the news that Housekeeper's remains had been identified by investigators in Hawaii, where his remains had been kept since 2004.
Army officials say Housekeeper will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery in April of next year.
A full report will appear in the Butler Eagle.
