Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis took the time to honor the life of a fallen soldier from Brooklyn on the floor of the House of Representatives. Raymond Smith, who was first reported missing in action on December 2nd, 1950, had his remains identified in March of this year. This was made possible after a 2018 summit between then President Donald Trump and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un, following which 55 boxes of possible human remains of fallen US soldiers were sent to the United States.
“Raymond’s family finally received closure when his remains were finally identified and accounted for after 71 unbearable years,” Malliotakis said. “[His] memory lives on and his sacrifice won’t be forgotten. Currently there are more than 81,600 Americans that remain missing from World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam War, Cold War, Gulf War and other conflicts.”
Malliotakis then went on to tweet about the 81k+ American soldiers who are still unidentified, tweeting, “There are 81k+ Americans still missing from World War II, Korean, Vietnam, Cold, Gulf Wars & other conflicts. The recent return of @USArmy PFC Raymond Smith’s remains to #Brooklyn should inspire us all to work toward the repatriation of ALL our POW/MIA. 