More than seven decades after he was declared missing in action during the Korean War, U.S. Army Cpl. Norman R. Levesque has finally returned home.
On Wednesday, August 5, family members, veterans, law enforcement, and members of the community lined the streets of Taunton, Massachusetts, waving American flags and placing their hands over their hearts as they welcomed home a fallen hero who gave his life in service to his country.
Cpl. Norman Ronald Levesque was just 18 years old when he went missing in action on Aug. 11, 1950. A member of Battery C, 15th Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, he was serving with Task Force Bradley during the defense of P’ohang-dong and Yonil Airfield in South Korea.
According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), Task Force Bradley was assigned to defend the strategic city and airfield from advancing North Korean People’s Army forces. While much of the task force reached its destination, one company and four vehicles from Battery C were ambushed in the early morning hours of Aug. 11, preventing them from reaching Yonil Airfield. Following the attack, Levesque was reported missing in action.
In 1954, during Operation Glory, the United Nations Command, North Korea, and the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army exchanged the remains of fallen service members. Two years later, unidentified Korean War remains were transferred to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu and buried as unknowns.
More than 60 years later, on March 26, 2018, one set of those unidentified remains was exhumed as part of the DPAA’s Korean War Disinterment Project and sent to a laboratory for forensic examination. Through advanced scientific analysis and historical research, the remains were positively identified as those of Cpl. Norman R. Levesque.
His identification was officially announced in 2025, finally bringing answers to his family after decades of uncertainty.
Levesque’s remains were escorted home by state and local police in a solemn procession through Taunton. He will be laid to rest during a graveside service on Aug. 14 with full military honors.
After more than 70 years, Cpl. Norman R. Levesque is finally home—a long-awaited homecoming honoring a young soldier whose sacrifice will never be forgotten.
