Bristol County hero finally coming home this week after remains identified

A local hero is finally coming home where he belongs.

According to the City of Taunton, on September 8, 2025, with the use of advanced science and technology, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency identified the remains of Taunton resident U.S. Army Cpl. Norman Ronald Levesque, missing from the Korean War. This week, they will be welcoming home the remains of a fallen hero.

On Wednesday, August 5, 2026, Cpl. Levesque will be escorted home by the Massachusetts State Police and Taunton Police Department. The procession will travel down Bay Street to Broadway to Washington Street to O’Keefe-Wade Funeral Home. The City anticipates the procession will reach the Bay St/Broadway area some time between 4:00 p.m.-4:15 p.m. on Wednesday.

The City of Taunton invites residents, Veterans, civic organizations, and community groups to join us in welcoming Cpl. Levesque home. Those wishing to pay their respects are encouraged to line the procession route beginning at 4:00 p.m., from O’Keefe-Wade Funeral Home along Washington Street and Broadway toward Bay Street. Arrival time of the procession is subject to change based on traffic, weather conditions or other factors.

According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, “Levesque entered the Army from Massachusetts and was a member of Battery C, 15th Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. On Aug. 10, 1950, members of Levesque’s Battery C of the 15th Field Artillery Battalion combined with 3rd Battalion of the 9th Infantry Regiment as Task Force Bradley. The task force was directed to defend the city of P’ohang-dong, and Yonil Airfield, South Korea, from an impending attack by North Korean People’s army forces. Late that day, Task Force Bradley moved along the main road toward P’ohang-dong and Yonil. Much of the task force reached Yonil shortly before midnight; however, during the early hours of Aug. 11, NKPA fighters ambushed one company and four vehicles from Battery C, preventing the unit’s men from reaching their destination. Following the ambush, Levesque was reported missing in action on August 11, 1950. 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. On March 26, 2018, as part of DPAA’s Korean War Disinterment Plan, one such Unknown was exhumed from the NMCP and sent to a DPAA laboratory for further study. There, based on the laboratory analysis and total circumstantial evidence, the previously unidentified remains were found to be those of Levesque.”

After more than 70 years, Levesque will finally be laid to rest in his hometown.