FORT WORTH, Texas — Although Taps traditionally signal the end of the military day, when retired soldier Marcus Baty hears it, he says it always tugs at his heartstrings.
"Because, you know, someone came before you," Baty said.
That someone for Baty and his family is his uncle, U.S. Army Sgt. Willie Baty.
In 1949, their uncle joined L Company, 3rd Battalion, and deployed to Korea. He was reported missing in action on Sept. 14 when his unit was forced to withdraw from the Masan area of the Pusan Perimeter, South Korea. Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered, and there is no evidence that he was ever a prisoner of war.
The Army issued a presumptive finding of death on December 31, 1953, and his remains were determined to be nonrecoverable on January 16, 1956. But his family would later learn what would appear to be a longshot for the 20-year-old.
"He was the baby. That. That was it. He was 20 years old. And so, what I've tried to do over the last several years is trace the history of that unit," said Baty.
In 1950, Baty's mother received a letter from the U.S. Army about her son being missing in action after their unit was forced to withdraw from South Korea. She sent back a handwritten letter about not having anything with his DNA to help identify her son.
Although they never met their uncle, Baty and his sister Paula Baty Roberts learned his remains could somehow be among unidentified remains eventually recovered. Then, 73 years later, the family got a telephone call they could never imagine based on new findings.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced that U.S. Army Sgt. Willie J. Baty, 20, of Mexia, Texas, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for as of Feb. 8, 2023.
"When I got the call in February of this year, that he had been identified, I was in the office and I was just jubilant," said Roberts, "I couldn't believe it."
"We always thought our uncle had been killed in action and was buried somewhere here in Texas. My grandmother had a nice flag, everything," said Baty.
Just like his uncle, and his own father, Baty followed in their footsteps and also served in the military. He too had deployments involving conflicts that involved the U.S. Military sending troops into active hot spots.
"I did two tours in Iraq," said Baty, "I've been to Cuba. I've been to Kosovo. And I've been to Bosnia."
In addition to receiving Willie Baty's remains, Baty shared what it means to also have their uncle's Silver Star and Purple Heart medals.
"Bravery, gallantry, and he made the ultimate sacrifice," Baty said.
A sacrifice that, 73 years later, the Baty family will get help from the owners and service experts at the Tree of Life funeral home in Fort Worth will help them celebrate with military honors.
The Baty family will celebrate the life of Willie Baty with a graveside service, at 11 a.m., Friday, Sept. 15th at Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery, 2000 Mountain Creek Parkway.