Sgt. Stanley Wayne Bear
1931 - 1950
On Oct. 4, 2012, the remains of Korean War Veteran Sgt. Stanley Wayne Bear were positively identified using mitochondrial DNA collected from his surviving sister and a nephew. He was killed in battle 62 years ago, September 4, 1950 near Mason, South Korea in the vicinity of Naktong River during the battle of Pusan Perimeter. His remains had not been recovered.
For over a decade the Department of Defense has worked in conjunction with the Governments of South and North Korea to investigate and recover unaccounted-for U.S. Service Members. The process began with Search and Recovery Teams working on site in both friendly and potentially hazardous locations. The recovered remains of Service Members were then transported to the Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii and to the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology and DNA Identification Laboratory in Washington, DC and Rockville, MD. Here the long process of identification began, and continues.
Sgt. Bear was a member of Company F, 27th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. He was awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Infantrymans Badge, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service medal, the National Defense Service Medal and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.
Sgt. Bear was born September 16, 1931 in New Boston, Ohio. The son of the late Orville and Emma Irene Riffe Bear. He was preceded in death by one brother, Edward Cletis Bear. Two brothers have passed since his death, Lee Roy Bear and Virgil Ray Bear, both late of Greenup. He is survived by two brothers, Carl Randall Bear of Pittsford, MI and Glenn Otis Bear of Stout, OH; and one sister, Faye Bear Worthington of Ashland. He is also survived by two half-sisters, Nancy Bear Stone of Greenup and Melissa Bear Little of Piketon, OH; and two half-brothers, John Max Bear of Piketon and Timothy Orville Bear of Columbia, NC. Many nieces and nephews also survive.
The family wishes to express our most sincere gratitude and appreciation to the department of defense personnel and affiliated agencies, including: the Search and Recovery Team, The defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO), The Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii (CLHI), Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL), and The Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA).
The graveside service is scheduled for Saturday, November 10 at 2:00pm at Kentucky Veterans Cemetery North East and is open to the public. Reed Funeral of Greenup is in charge of burial. Military Honors will be performed by Fort Knox. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you donate to, or volunteer with a Veterans Organization or Charity of your choice, remembering all the men and women who have served in our Armed Forces both yesterday and today.
