Press Release | Feb. 4, 2025

Soldier Accounted For From Korean War (Mestas, O.)

WASHINGTON  –  

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Sgt. Orace J. Mestas, 22, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for Jan. 31, 2024.

In April 1951, Mestas was a member of Company I, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action near Chip’o-ri, North Korea after his unit’s position was attacked on April 25. Due to intense fighting in the area, his body could not be recovered. The U.S. Army determined him to be nonrecoverable on Jan. 16, 1956.

This is an initial release. The complete accounting of Mestas’s case will be published once the family receives their full briefing.