2013
Minnesota POW Honored 60 Years After Escaping in North Korea
Over 60 years after escaping from North Korea, a Minnesota POW finally received his medal for his dedication to the American flag and this country. Duane Broten was barely 20 years old when he made a commitment to this country to protect the American flag and all that it stands for. While serving for the U.S. Army at Pork Chop Hill, in North Korea (now part of South Korea), his camp was overrun by North Koreans where he barely escaped his captors. Wounded terribly during the intense fight, Broten lay defenseless in the trenches, drifting in and out of consciousness due to an incredible amount of blood-loss. Due to his dying state, the North Korean captors left the sergeant there to die instead of taking him back to their camp. However, Broten was determined to make it back home to his family. After five days of laying wounded and near death, Broten made a heroic escape just days before the war officially ended. Unfortunately, due to mistakes in the Army paperwork and lost records, the Minnesota-native sergeant never received recognition for being a prisoner of war. That was all fixed last Sunday when a U.S. Senator gave Duane his long … ![]()
















