NOTE: This repatriation mission consists of an accompaniment only to the funeral home as the hero will eventually be returned to his Irish homeland for military honors and burial in the family plot.The United States Army have invited the Patriot Guard Riders to accompany this Korean Conflict American hero, now accounted for from the Korean Conflict, from the airport to the funeral home. It will our honor to accompany this repatriated hero.
On Sept. 27, 2024, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Sgt. Thomas Joseph O'Brien, missing from the Korean War.
Sergeant Thomas Joseph O’Brien entered the U.S. Army and served in Headquarters Battery, 90th Field Artillery Battalion, 25th Infantry Division. He was born in Ballyvistea, Emly, County Tipperary, Ireland, and resided in New York.
By Late October 1950, United Nations forces had driven North Korean units north of Pyongyang and were steadily advancing northward. On October 26, O'Brien was in a forward observation post on the south side of the Taeryong River when a Korean People’s Army (KPA) infantry and tanks attacked the position while moving through the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea). O'Brien was killed by enemy tank fire and his observation post was overrun, preventing the immediate recovery of his body. His remains were unaccounted for following the ceasefire.
After the war, a set of remains was returned to U.S. custody as part of the exchange of war dead known as Operation GLORY. A tentative association was made between the remains and O'Brien, but it could not be confirmed with the techniques available at the time, and the remains were interred as an unknown at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii. In March 2018, the DPAA disinterred this set of remains for further study. The laboratory analysis and the totality of the circumstantial evidence available allowed scientists to identify O'Brien.
He is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. A rosette will be placed next to O'Brien's name to indicate he has been accounted for. His name is also inscribed on the Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC, which was updated in 2022 to include the names of the fallen.
NOTE: This mission posting is to facilitate your voluntary participation in honoring this KIA hero. For those interested, and all PGR members are welcome, we will be accompanying this hero from the airport to the funeral home, approximately 38 miles. Please see the timetable if you would like to participate.
TIMETABLE FOR TUESDAY, 09 JUNE 20260400: Stage @ Carl's Jr., 5625 W. Century Blvd, Los Angeles, CA.
https://goo.gl/maps/59qpQRWL6N3aMWUS60430: Mission briefing.
0445: Move to arrival location.
0545: KSU to Eternal Valley Memorial Park Mortuary, 23287 Sierra Hwy, Newhall, CA.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/PGFjVKjspewZjbSGA0700: ETA to mortuary. Flag line and dignified transfer of hero from coach to the building.
TOM BARRY
California PGR State Captain
casc@patriotguard.org
714-206-1227You do not have to be a veteran or a motorcycle rider to attend this mission. All PGR members are welcome. We encourage those who do not ride to attend in your car. If this will be your first mission go to the initial staging area and you will be briefed there by the Ride Captain (RC). Dress for motorcycle riding or dress casually if you are driving a cage (car). Please feel free to attend any portion of this mission you can. Please ride/drive safely.
