Cpl. Vernon "Doug" Douglas Presswood's Obituary
Cpl. Vernon Douglas "Doug" Presswood, age 19, of Pinckneyville, IL was reported missing in action in the Korean War on December 2, 1950 and declared deceased by the United States Army as of December 31, 1953. His remains were recovered and identified by DNA testing and are being returned to his family on Tuesday prior to the service and burial with full military honors. Cpl. Presswood was born on December 15, 1930 in Pinckneyville, IL, a son to Vernon and Edith V. (Mathis) Presswood. He had attended Pinckneyville Community High School and was a member of Beaucoup Baptist Church, Pinckneyville, IL. While still in high school, he joined the United States Army serving in the Korean War. He is fondly remembered as always being friendly to everyone and dearly loved by those who knew him. He is honored in his hometown by being the co-namesake of the Presswood-Daffron American Legion Post #2504, Pinckneyville, IL. This local legion post and its members provide funeral honors for our deceased military service men and women and do the work to display the American Flags throughout Pinckneyville on days of patriotic celebration. In late November 1950, Cpl. Presswood was a member of Heavy Mortar Company, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. Approximately 2,500 U.S. and 700 SouthKorean soldiers assembled into the 31st Regimental Combat Team (RCT), which was deployed east of the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea, when it was engaged by overwhelming numbers of Chinese forces. By December 6, the U.S. Army evacuated approximately 1,500 wounded service members; the remaining soldiers, including Cpl. Presswood, had been either captured or killed in enemy territory. Because he could not be accounted for by his unit at the end of the battle, he was reported missing in action. His name did not appear on any prisoner of war lists and no repatriated Americans were able to provide any information concerning him as a prisoner of war. Due to the prolonged lack of evidence, the U.S. Army declared him deceased. Although the U.S. Army Graves Registration Service hoped to recover American remains that remained north of the Korean Demilitarized Zone after the war, administrative details between the United Nations Command and North Korea complicated recovery efforts. An agreement was made and in September and October 1954, in what was known as Operation Glory, remains were retured. However, Cpl. Presswood's remains were not included and he was declared unrecoverable. During the 25th Joint Recovery Operation in 2001, recovery teams conducted operations on the eastern bank of the Chosin Reservoir, Changjin County, North Korea, based on information provided by two Korean witnesses. The site was approximately one kilometer from the 31st RCT's defensive perimeter. During that excavation, the recovery team recovered possible human remains of at least seven individuals. To identify Cpl. Presswood's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used circumstantial and anthropological evidence, including chest radiograph comparison, as well as DNA analysis; including mitochondrial and DNA, which matched his sister and nephew. Today, 7,780 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. Using advances in technology, identifications continue to be made from remains that were previously turned over by North Korean officials or recovered by American teams. Survivors include his sister, Phyllis McGee of Pinckneyville, IL; two nieces, Staci (Mark) Steele of Vergennes, IL and Paige (Ron) Angleton of St. Louis, MO; four nephews, Bob (Peggy) Stanton of Pinckneyville, IL, David (Mary) Stanton of Pinckneyville, IL, Duke (Shannon) Stanton of Springfield, MO and Ron McGee of Collinsville, IL; and many great and great-great nieces and nephews.Family members deceased before and since his death are his parents; a step-father, Clifford Guenther; and a brother and sister-in-law, Melvin "Duke" and Betty Presswood. Funeral services will be held at Beaucoup Baptist Church, Pinckneyville, IL on Saturday, December 3, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. with Brother Mark Lee officiating. Interment will be in Mueller Hill Cemetery, Pinckneyville, IL with full military honors assisted by the Presswood-Daffron American Legion Post #2504, Pinckneyville, IL. Friends may call at Beaucoup Baptist Church, Pinckneyville, IL on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. Memorial donations may be made to the Presswood-Daffron American Legion Post #2504, Pinckneyville, IL. Pyatt Funeral Home, Pinckneyville, IL is in charge of arrangements. For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find the DPAA on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa or call 703-699-1420.
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