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Thursday, November 14, 2019
Thursday, November 14, 2019
Family gets incredible details on Korean War MIA’s remains By Alan Hodge alan@cfmedia.info
The September 26, 2019 edition of the BannerNews first broke the story that remains of Korean War MIA Cpl. Earl Duncan of Cramerton had been discovered and the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) had identified them. Now, new details of the situation have been revealed to his family. On October 31, a representative from the U.S. government visited with Duncan’s kin at the home of his younger brother Sam. Other siblings are Howard and sister Elsie Duncan Loftin. There are about twenty nieces and nephews remaining and one of them, Lisa
Whitt of Mt. Holly, also sat in on the emotional meeting that included an explanation of the contents of Cpl. Duncan’s file which is nearly an inch thick. The file contained a huge amount of documentation dating back to 1953. One of them summarized what had actually happened during the battle in which Cpl. Duncan lost his life, how his remains had been identified, and the events that saw them brought back to the U.S. An excerpt from the file included- “Corporal Duncan joined the U.S. Army from North Carolina and was a member of Company D, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. In late November 1950, his unit was po-
sitioned north of Sinhung-ni, North Korea, on the eastern side of the Chosin Reservoir. On November 27, Chinese Communist Forces launched a large scale surprise attack against U.S. and United Nations troops at the reservoir. Cpl. Duncan was reported missing on December 2, 1950, following an engagement with the enemy as his unit withdrew from Sinhung-ni. He was not identified among remains returned to the U.S. immediately following the war. In 2018, as a result of a summit meeting
Earl Duncan between leaders of the two nations, the North Korean government returned fiftyfive boxes of war-dead See KOREAN WAR, Page 4
Korean War MIA Cpl. Earl Duncan’s niece Lisa Whitt and his brother Sam look over the documentation explaining how the U.S. Government identified his remains. Photo by Alan Hodge
Belmont’s Rocky Branch Park to get improvements By Alan Hodge alan@cfmedia.info
Ever since Rocky Branch Park in the Reid Community of Belmont opened in 2013, it has been one of the city and area’s most popular outdoor attractions. Now, plans are in the works that would see the park’s trail not only widened, but expanded as well. Rocky Branch Park was originally constructed mostly with volunteer labor and as a place where folks could ride their mountain bikes on a primitive trail that winds for several miles through the woods. The trail became popular with hikers See ROCKY BRANCH, Page 3 This photo shows the main entrance to Rocky Branch Park at Sacco St. and Woodrow Ave.
Several political newcomers achieved wins in last week’s election including Richard Atkinson (left) in Cramerton who was seen at the polls with victorious incumbents Susan Neeley and Donald Rice.
Municipal election saw several new faces win By Alan Hodge alan@cfmedia.info
Last week’s municipal elections saw some close outcomes and several new candidates emerge victorious. Overall, countywide voter turnout was 18.85%, which was 16,789 votes cast out of
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89,046 registered voters. “The turnout was steady,” said Belmont poll worker Ginger Feimster. “I was very impressed.” In the City of Belmont council race, where three seats were up for grabs, newcomer Jim Hefferan came out See ELECTION, Page 6