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FINALLY HOME: IOWAN'S REMAINS RETURN FROM KOREAN

WAR -- "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."

 

Army Cpl. Clem Robert Boody

 

For more on the disposition of veterans' remains, use the VA Watchdog search engine...click here...
http://www.yourvabenefits.org/ses
search.php?q=remains&op=and

Story here... http://www.wcfcourier.com/
articles/2007/09/06/news/regional/4cf313
5228afc9a18625734e00446b3f.txt

Story below:

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Finally home: Iowan's remains return from Korean War

By DAN GEARINO, Courier Des Moines Bureau

 

TOLEDO --- Stacey Brewer got the call last week: Her uncle's remains are among those brought back recently from North Korea.

Brewer lives in Toledo and has spent years trying to get to bottom of what happened to Army Cpl. Clem Robert Boody.

"I was just shocked. We never really expected, as a family, to get that kind of news," Brewer said Wednesday.

Boody was reported missing in action during the Korean War.

She credits New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson for resolving the situation.

Richardson, a candidate for the Democrats' presidential nomination, secured the remains of six servicemen while on a bipartisan diplomatic mission. He and Anthony Principi, former secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, led a delegation to North Korea in April. Richardson, though, has previous experience negotiating with North Korea from his time as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Richardson met privately with Brewer on Tuesday. His office released a statement Wednesday saying DNA tests confirm Boody's identity. None of the other remains have been identified.

"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," Richardson said in the statement.

Brewer, 46, wrote a letter to Richardson when she got the news. She recounted how she spent 10 years petitioning the U.S. Department of Defense for information.

"Everything I have ever sent was 'forwarded to the appropriate department personnel' and left to lay there," Brewer said in the letter.

She began the quest with the help of her father, Boody's brother, Unfortunately, her father died before they got any answers. Boody has no children.

According to Richardson's office, Boody was a member of the 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. He was 24 years old when listed as missing in action while fighting near Unsan in November 1950. Officials designated Boody as "presumed dead" in December 1953.

Brewer was born after Boody's death but said her uncle was known for his oversized personality.

"My father always described him as a rabble-rouser and a rebel," she said.

Boody served two tours with the army. After the first, he visited home and showed off his pierced ears and tattoos, which made him stand out in rural Iowa.

Brewer said her family intends to bury Boody's remains next to his parents in Independence. The family has not yet taken possession of the remains.

Pat Palmersheim, director of the Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs, said 138 Iowans are missing in action from the Korean War and 27 from the Vietnam War. No state-by-state tally is available for World War II.

Brewer hopes her family's story offers hope to other families in similar situations.

"It is not too late. After 57 years, it is still possible to get a good result."

Contact Dan Gearino at (515) 243-0138 and dan.gearino@lee.net.
 

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Larry Scott  --