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Richardson Campaign Press Release - Governor Bill Richardson Informed of Positive ID of Korean MIA's Remains

September 05, 2007

SANTA FE -- New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson was notified by the Department of Defense that it has positively identified the American soldier whose remains were repatriated following the Governor's mission to North Korea in April.

Relatives of Cpl. Clem Robert Boody, of Independence, IA, were notified last week that their uncle's remains were identified as a result of DNA testing. Cpl. Boody's remains were among the remains of six American solders that North Korean military leaders turned over to a delegation led by Governor Richardson and former Veterans Affairs Secretary Anthony Principi.

"More than half-century after Corporal Boody was reported Missing in Action while fighting for our country, he will finally receive a dignified burial next to his parents in Iowa," Governor Bill Richardson said following a private meeting in Des Moines, IA, with Boody's relatives. "Cpl. Boody made the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf. I hope his relatives can get some closure after so many years of wondering what happened to their Uncle Clem."

Stacey Brewer, a niece of Boody's from Toledo, IA, said in a letter to Governor Richardson: "I was informed today...hours ago really, of this positive identification...but I wanted to say: Thank you Gov. Richardson for taking the time to remember the sacrifices made by the families of those who served their country over 50 years ago. Thank you for bringing my Uncle home to the United States."

Cpl. Boody was a member of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. He was listed as Missing in Action while fighting the enemy near Unsan, North Korea on November 2, 1950. He was presumed dead on December 31, 1953.

Governor Richardson and former Secretary Anthony Principi, led a bipartisan U.S. delegation to Pyongyang in April, where they met with General Ri Chan Bok, North Korea's Commanding General at the Demilitarized Zone, about the remains of U.S. soldiers. General Ri turned over the remains of six soldiers to the U.N. Command and Military Armistice Commission following the meeting with Governor Richardson.

Governor Richardson and Secretary Principi were also present at a formal ceremony marking the transfer of the remains in Seoul, and an Arrival Honor Guard ceremony held in Honolulu, where the remains were DNA-tested.

"I am grateful that I was able to join with Gov Richardson in repatriating the remains of American servicemen who were missing in action in North Korea and to learn that the remains of Cpl Boody have been identified", said Principi. "It is wonderful to know that Cpl Boody's family will now be able to pay their final respects to him on his return home to Iowa."

Governor Richardson has been working on the issue of retrieving remains of soldiers for several years. During the April meeting in Pyongyang, General Ri said Governor Richardson's involvement was a factor in sending North Korean soldiers to the Unsan region during recent months to look for additional remains. The remains of one soldier had been found in October 2006, and Ri ordered 10 North Korean soldiers to the region to search for more remains, Ri told Governor Richardson.

Bill Richardson, Richardson Campaign Press Release - Governor Bill Richardson Informed of Positive ID of Korean MIA's Remains Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/294797

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