More than 74 years after he was killed in action during the Korean War, U.S. Army Cpl. Eriverto Ortiz finally was laid to rest Monday at Bluff City Cemetery in Elgin.
Ortiz, listed as missing in action until his remains were formally identified last year, was buried with full military honors. About 150 people watched as his remains were brought to his final resting place by a horse-drawn hearse.
Three nieces of Korean War soldier Eriverto Ortiz look on during his burial Monday at Bluff City Cemetery in Elgin. From left are Isidra Lomas, Gloria Valle and Diane Aguilera. Ortiz was considered missing in action for 74 years before his remains were finally identified.
Rick West/[email protected]
“I’m just so grateful to everyone and happy for him,” said his niece, Gloria Valle of Elgin. “Now he’s home. He can rest in peace.”
The burial followed a service at St. Mary Church, where schoolchildren holding flags honored him following the service.
The internment ceremony included a rifle tribute, then everyone joined for the singing of the national anthem. Ortiz’s family released several doves, which soared over the proceedings following the playing of taps and “Amazing Grace.”
Eriverto Ortiz, a U.S. Army corporal who was declared missing in action in Korea in 1950, was laid to rest Monday at Bluff City Cemetery in Elgin.
Rick West/[email protected]
Ortiz, a member of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, was killed Sept. 22, 1950, during a battle to gain control of Paedun-ni and Sachon in Korea.
He was 27 years old when he died.
His body could not be recovered at the time due to the fierce fighting. Numerous subsequent searches failed to locate his remains, and he eventually was declared nonrecoverable.
But in 2018, as part of the Korean War Disinterment Project, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency used dental, anthropological and mitochondrial DNA analysis in an attempt to identify remains located in 1951. The remains formally were identified as those of Ortiz on Aug. 10, 2023.
Honor guard members salute Monday before folding the flag during military honors for Eriverto Ortiz, a U.S. Army corporal who was declared missing in action in Korea in 1950 and was laid to rest Monday in Elgin.
Rick West/[email protected]
For his service, Ortiz was awarded the Purple Heart, Bronze Service Stars, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Republic of Korea War Service Medal, and the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation.
Gov. JB Pritzker ordered that all U.S. and state flags throughout Illinois were to fly at half-mast Monday in honor of Ortiz. A rosette will now be placed next to his name on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, signifying he’s been accounted for.
Gloria Valle of Elgin, seated with her husband, Braulio, receives the flag honoring her uncle Eriverto Ortiz, a U.S. Army corporal who was declared missing in action in Korea in 1950. His remains were identified after 74 years and he was laid to rest Monday at Bluff City Cemetery in Elgin.
Rick West/[email protected]
After years of uncertainty, he’s now buried just a few hundred yards from his oldest sister, Rita.
“He’s with family now,” Valle said.