The U.S. Defense Prisoner of War (POW) / Missing in Action (MIA) Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced on Monday, Sept. 20, that U.S. Army 1^st Lt. Anthony R. Mazzulla, 26, of The Bronx, New York, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for on May 28, 2020.

 

Though Mazzulla was accounted for in May of last year, DPAA said his family only recently received a full briefing on his identification, which is why details of his status are only being released to the public now.

 

In late 1950, Mazzulla was a member of Company B, 1^st Battalion, 32^nd Infantry Regiment, 7^th Infantry Division. According to DPAA officials, he was reported missing in action on Dec. 2, 1950, after a fighting withdrawal near the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea. Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered.

 

On July 27, 2018, following a summit between then-U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un in June 2018, North Korea turned over 55 boxes, purported to contain the remains of American service members killed during the Korean War. Mazzulla’s remains arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii on Aug. 1, 2018, and were subsequently accessioned into the DPAA laboratory for identification.

 

To identify Mazzulla’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis.

 

Mazzulla’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, in Honolulu, along with the others who are still missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

 

Mazzulla will be buried in Cranston, Rhode Island. The date has yet to be determined. For family and funeral information, contact the Army Casualty Office at (800) 892-2490.

 

To see the most up-to-date statistics on DPAA recovery efforts for those unaccounted for from the Korean War, go to the Korean War fact sheet on the DPAA website here.

 

For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving the country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, or find the agency on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa  or at https://www.linkedin.com/company/defense-pow-mia-accounting-agency.

 

Mazzulla’s personnel profile can be viewed at here.

 

 

The U.S. Defense Prisoner of War (POW) / Missing in Action (MIA) Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced on Monday, Sept. 20, that U.S. Army 1st Lt. Anthony R. Mazzulla, 26, of The Bronx, New York, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for on May 28, 2020.
Photo courtesy of DPAA

 

Editor’s Note: If any of Lt. Mazzulla’s surviving family members would like to share their thoughts with us on the fact that he has been accounted for, we would be grateful to speak with you. We can be reached at smoloney@norwoodnews.org, via Twitter @NorwoodNews or via Facebook @norwoodnews.bronx. Thank you.