LOS LUNAS, N.M. (KRQE) – More than 70 years after dying in the Korean War, a young soldier from Los Lunas has been identified, bringing closure to his family who have been waiting for answers. “He joined the army as soon as he turned 17. He quit school and my grandma had to sign for him to join. So, he was only 17 when he went missing,” said U.S. Army Private First Class Arthur Aaron Clifton’s nephew Wade Holland. Pfc. Clifton from Los Lunas was still just 17 when he was killed in Korea in the winter of 1950. He was reported missing in action on December 11, 1950, in North Korea after his unit was attacked by Chinese Communist forces near the Chosin Reservoir. “His brother joined the Marines to go to Korea thinking that he could find his brother,” said Holland. What became of him remained a mystery. That is, until August 2024, when his remains were finally identified. Holland said his mom, Clifton’s sister Lydia Holland, remembers him as a protector. She is his only living sibling. Holland added, “We started this process around 2000 and at one point my mom said the only thing she really wanted to do was live long enough to get him home.” The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) has been working for years to identify fallen veterans from past wars. DPAA said their Korean War project has been one of their largest. So far, they've identified the remains of 700 veterans, with 7,500 left to identify from the Korean War. They said Clifton’s case is special because of the help from his family who provided DNA. “We were able to get DNA on quite a number of samples that we submitted which is not always the case,” said Special Project Manager in the DPAA Laboratory Jennie Jin. DPAA said their team is dedicated to giving families answers. “It just makes us feel great to be able to use what we have learned in school to do something very meaningful and contribute to this nation,” said Jin. The funeral for Pfc. Clifton is on January 31 at 1:30 p.m. at the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas. He will be buried near his family.