On Memorial Day, we learn about the ongoing work to identify missing soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines from America’s past wars. That includes Illinoisans who’ve finally been accounted for, like Marine Sgt. Robert F. Van Heck of Chicago, killed at age 25 during the Battle of Tarawa in World War II. Plus, we’ll talk about the enduring symbolism and mythology of soldiers thought left behind in Vietnam.

In 1967, Pham Thein Khoc’s college education came to a halt when he joined the South Vietnam Army as a combat engineer. Shortly after the Vietnam War, Pham was arrested and taken to a prison camp in Bình Thuận, where his physical and emotional health deteriorated. After enduring years of post-war anxiety in Vietnam, Pham and his family were finally able to immigrate to the United States, although Pham had to leave his oldest son behind in Vietnam.