‘Closure’: Remains of Taunton Korean War veteran escorted home after 76 years

TAUNTON, Mass. — The remains of a Korean War veteran from Taunton were returned to his home city Wednesday to be laid to rest after roughly 76 years.

Cpl. Norman Levesque’s remains were escorted by police through Taunton and carried into the O’Keefe-Wade Funeral Home Wednesday afternoon by Marines.

In August of 1950, Levesque’s battalion was tasked to defend the city of P’ohang-dong and Yonil Airfield, South Korea, from an impending attack by the North Korean People’s Army.

On August 11th 1950, his company was ambushed, and he was reported missing in action.

According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency website:

“In 1954, as part of Operation Glory, the United Nations Command, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army exchanged the remains of war dead. However, none of the Operation Glory remains could be positively associated with Levesque using the forensic tools at the time. In 1956, all unidentified Korean War remains were transferred to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP) and buried as Unknowns.”

In 2018, as a part of the DPAA’s Korean War Disinterment Plan, the remains of Levesque were exhumed in Hawaii.

Taunton Veterans Services director Ally Marie Tammaro said laboratory testing and analysis of Levesque’s remains led them to a relative of his in Taunton. In 2025, they identified the remains belonging to Cpl. Normand Levesque.

Wednesday afternoon, a hearse holding his remains were escorted through the city by police. Marines carried the coffin holding his remains into a funeral home as city residents watched in silence.

“I feel for the family, and that’s why I’m here,” said one city resident.

Another added, “He’s a human being, right? Like, here he is. He gets to come home.”

Tammaro told Boston 25, “We’re never going to not try. We’re never going to not welcome a veteran home.”

In March of 2025, the remains of Pfc. Joseph R. Travers returned to Taunton after he died in 1951 during the Korean War.

Mayor Shaunna O’Connell said this is a priority to their city.

“We do lead the way in that effort,” she said about veteran services.

Levesque’s family respectfully declined to speak Wednesday.

Mayor O’Connell said she has been in close contact with them.

“They looked happy and relieved,” she said about the family. “They were showing everybody pictures from before he went over to Korea, and it really looked like they had some closure.”

Levesque’s name is one of several etched into the city’s Korean War Veterans Memorial downtown.

Officials say his remains will be cremated, and he will be buried later this month.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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