By Rachel Morrison, Ritchie Gazette & The Cairo Standard
SMITHVILLE, W.Va. — After 73 years, Sgt. Kester Bernard Hardman has finally been reunited with his family, where he belongs.
Hardman, died tragically young at the age of 22 — passed April 24, 1951 — due to illness while in captivity as a Prisoner of War on the Pyoktong Peninsula, during the Korean War.
While his remains were recovered during an exchange of war dead in 1954, they were only recently identified. Until now, he had been officially considered missing in action, and his nameless remains were buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu, Hawaii.
His memorial was held Oct. 12, at Hardman Chapel, near Smithville.
According to the registry, a total of 37 people came to pay their respects, which ranged from family of the long-lost soldier, to those simply seeking to honor the legacy of a fallen hero. Featured inside the Chapel were several items, including his medals, uniform, old family photos, and even copies of letters he had written home to family during the war. Despite the heavy subject, the tone was one of celebration and joy, as everyone came together to welcome Sgt. Hardman home and give his story the closure family has long deserved.
Among those in attendance were two individuals who knew Hardman in life, Wynona “Noni” (Watson) Scadden and Motor Sgt. Phillip D. Waide, both 93 years of age.
Scadden, who traveled several hours to join the service, was an old classmate of Hardman’s. They attended Smithville Elementary together, which only had three rooms at the time. Despite the two being in different grades, the 7th- and 8th-grade classes shared a single room.
