Eagle Passan Luis Patlan Torres buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery after missing 66 years from Korean War

By: Miguel Munoz, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2017

U.S. Army Corporal Luis Patlan Torres of Eagle Pass, Texas was last seen alive on September 1, 1950 during a fierce battle between American troops and North Korean troops in the Second Battle of Naktong Bulge where it is believed he was taken as a Prisoner of War and became a Missing In Action soldier.  According to military records, Corporal Luis Patlan Torres is presumed to have died on March 3, 1954.

Corporal Luis Patlan Torres was assigned to the “C” Company, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division of the U.S. Army at the time of the Second Battle of Naktong Bulge.

Family members and friends were able to lay to rest Corporal Luis Patlan Torres on Friday, January 13, 2017 at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas after missing for over 66 years.  The U.S. Army posthumously awarded Corporal Luis Patlan Torres the Purple Heart for his wounds in the Korean War. A full-military funeral with honors was provided to Corporal Luis Patlan Torres by the U.S. Army.

Although born in Cone, Texas on August 24, 1930, Corporal Lusi Patlan Torres was raised in Eagle Pass, Texas and attended local public schools.  He was one of 17 children born to Gregorio H. Torres and Ester Patlan Torres and the family lived at 743 Concho Street in Eagle Pass, Texas for many years.  Surviving him are Guadalupe Torres Mendoza of Eagle Pass, Mary Torres Sheppard, Juan Torres, and Gregorio Torres, Jr., all of San Antonio, Texas, and many nephews, great-nephews, and family members.

Former Eagle Passan Carlos Mendoza, a nephew of Corporal Luis Patlan Torres, was resilient in locating his uncle and successfully found him with the assistance of the U.S. Army and family members.