Belleville honors Korean War veteran identified nearly 75 years after he went missing

BELLEVILLE, Ill. (First Alert 4) - The City of Belleville on Monday honored the life of a Korean War veteran who went missing in action after his remains were identified.

Sgt. Joseph Platzkoester went missing in action on May 30, 1951. The City of Belleville said he went missing after his unit encountered a roadblock and heavy enemy fire.

Identification of his remains was made on May 29 through DNA testing, almost 75 years after he went missing.

On Monday, the Cathedral of St. Peter in Belleville held a Christian burial Mass for Platzkoester. He will be laid to rest at Green Mount Catholic Cemetery, according to the city.

Platzkoester received a Bronze Star for his actions on the day he died. He also received several other medals, including the Purple Heart, the Good Conduct Medal and the National Defense Service Medal.

His name is also memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific and the Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C.