MARIENVILLE, Pa. (EYT) – On Thursday, September 21, a motorcade carrying the remains of a Marienville soldier killed in action during the Korean War will pass through the area, 73 years after his life was lost on the battlefield.

Richard “Dick” Marvin Sharrow was born on March 4, 1928, to Charles R. and Effie S. Sharrow in Marienville. He was killed in action at Yongdong, South Korea. He was 22 years old at the time of his death.

Sergeant Sharrow was part of a rescue unit sent to assist troops who were cut off from American positions on July 25, 1950, in the village of Yongdong, South Korea, following an intense three-day battle early in the war. Sharrow and his company advanced up a hill that was well-defended by North Korean forces. After intense fighting, Sharrow went missing and could not be located.

The following year, the US Army began recovering remains from the area. Collected remains were temporarily interred in the United Nations Military Cemetery in Tanggok, South Korea.

Unidentifiable remains, including Sergeant Sharrow’s (then identified as X-1023), were then sent to Hawaii to be buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl.

In July 2018, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) came up with a plan to attempt to identify 652 Korean War “unknowns” from the Punchbowl. In October 2019, several sets of remains, including X-1023, were sent to the DPAA laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, to be analyzed.

Sergeant Sharrow’s remains were positively identified on January 24, 2023.

Scientists from the DPAA used multiple techniques including anthropological and dental analyses, chest radiograph comparisons, and mitochondrial DNA analysis to identify Sergeant Sharrow.

Following his identification, Sharrow’s name, which was recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, received a rosette to indicate that he is now accounted for.

According to Greg Furlong, of Furlong Funeral Home, Sergeant Sharrow’s remains will be flown from Hawaii to Pittsburgh and will be transported by motorcade to Marienville.

The motorcade will pass through New Bethlehem along State Route 28 to Summerville from the Pittsburgh Airport. They are expected to pass through from approximately 7:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 21.

A large processional will be held on Saturday, September 23. Anyone wishing to honor Sergeant Sharrow may join this processional that will take him home to Marienville by meeting at Furlong Funeral Home located at 50 Broad Street in Summerville. Please arrive by 2:30 p.m., and the processinal will be leaving at 3:00 p.m. precisely. His arrival in Marienville will be at 4:00 p.m.

Visitation will be at Furlong Funeral Home located at 140 Cherry Street, Marienville, Pa., on Sunday, September 24, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at St. Ann Cemetery in Marienville.

Graveside services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, September 25, 2023, at St. Ann Cemetery, in Jenks Township, Forest County, with Father Cory Pius, pastor, presiding.

Sgt. Sharrow will be laid to rest with full military honors accorded by active duty members of the U.S. Military.

More information on the motorcade will be published when the information becomes available.