Army Sergeant George Schipani was killed in action in 1951 after becoming a Prisoner of War during the Korean War. Schipani’s remains to arrive in Somerville and process by his former home on Sat., June 15. Friend and fellow soldier and POW, of Cambridge, to attend funeral of his former company member. 

For more than 30 years, the remains of an unknown American soldier were buried in the National Memorial of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, alongside other fallen soldiers. In January 2019, the remains were identified as Somerville resident George R. Schipani, and on June 15, he will finally return home.

In March 1951, Schipani, a Sergeant in the United States Army, was killed in active duty in the Korean War after becoming a Prisoner of War. On June 15, 2019, his remains will return to his hometown in a procession led by Massachusetts State Police and the Somerville Police Department. Sgt. Schipani will be laid to rest at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Somerville, Massachusetts, on Saturday, June 22. Also in attendance at the services will be Sgt. Shipani’s fellow solider and friend from Company K, Cliff Benoit, a resident of neighboring Cambridge. Benoit was a prisoner in Camp 5 (see details below) along with others from Sgt. Schipani’s unit. In all, half of the more than 3,500 soldiers held at Camp 5 were killed, including Sgt. Schipani. Benoit survived in Camp 5 for approximately two years before being rescued.

According to the U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA):

Sgt. Schipani was a member of Company K, 3^rd Battalion, 8^th Cavalry Regiment, 1^st Cavalry Division when his unit took part in the Battle of Unsan, North Korea. Early in the morning of Nov. 2, 1950, Schipani’s battalion was struck by enemy units of the Chinese People’s Volunteer Forces. After several days of intense fighting, survivors escaped to friendly lines. Schipani was reported missing in action as of Nov. 2, 1950.

At the end of the war, returning American prisoners stated that Schipani had been captured and marched to Pyoktong, Prisoner of War Camp 5, and died in February or March 1951.

In 1954, in what was known as Operation Glory, the U.S. Army was able to recover the remains of American soldiers from Korea. Remains that were unable to be identified were buried as Unknowns in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu, including a set of remains designated Unknown X-13448 Op Glory. In July 2018, DPAA disinterred Unknown X-13448 Op Glory from the Punchbowl, and sent the remains to the laboratory for analysis. In January 2019, the remains were identified as Sgt. George Schipani.

A funeral service is planned for Saturday, June 22, at the Keefe Funeral Home at 5 Chestnut St., Arlington, MA, beginning at 10 a.m. A burial service will follow, at approximately 11 a.m., at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery at 1340 Broadway, Somerville.

Sgt. Schipani will be the 70^th Somerville veteran to be interred in the cemetery, and the first burial as a result of death during active duty since 1983.

“It’s an honor to be a part of Sergeant Schipani’s final journey home to Somerville,” said Somerville Director of Veterans Affairs, Bryan Bishop. “His story is among countless others of America’s youth who answered the call to protect and defend democracy and freedom. We will always remember the sacrifice Sergeant Schipani and those who served with him made for our Country and we will never forget their bravery and devotion to duty.”

From the DPAA:

We are grateful to Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership in this mission. Today, 7,662 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. Using modern technology, identifications continue to be made from remains that were previously returned by North Korean officials or recovered from North Korea by American recovery teams. Schipani’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 missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

For family information, contact the Army Service Casualty office at (800) 892-2490.

For future funeral details, visit www.dpaa.mil.

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 us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa or call (703) 699-1420/1169.

Schipani’s personnel profile can be viewed at https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt00000004nh6EAA