Torres was born on August 1930 in Cone , Texas but was raised in Eagle Pass, Texas where he attended the Eagle Pass Independent School District Public school system before joining the military at a young age.
Torres was deployed to Korea during 1950 where he served his country with great honor.
Torres, who was 20-years-old at the time, was assigned to “C” Company, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division.
It is believed Torres went missing when he was captured by the enemy in a battlefield when his battalion had its position overrun by enemy forces along the east bank of the Naktong River, South Korea.
During this attack, Torres was reported missing in action near Changyong, South Korea.
Torres’s mother, the late Esther Torres, was notified that her son was considered a Prisoner of War , missing in action. The US Military later notified the family that status on Torres had been changed to Killed in Action on March 3, 1954, and awarded Torres the military Purple Heart.
Ever since that day, the plight to bring him back home began.
Carlos Mendoza one of Torres’s nephews, a retired Army staff sergeant from Eagle Pass, Texas had been working with the U.S Army on locating or finding any information that would lead to some type of closure. Reports further state that the U.S. Army briefed Torres’ loved ones on December 15, 2016 confirming that remains that had been found had been identified as those of U.S Corporal Luis Patlan Torres.
On Friday, January 13, 2017, Torres was brought back home to the U.S. and given a proper burial and honors for serving his country.
Gregorio Torres, one of Torres’ 17 brothers and sisters was overjoyed and caught with emotion at the news, stating, “We know he’s coming home, we know that closure is here.”
The Torres’s journey to find answers has spanned over six decades.
Torres’ remains were found in a registry of remains that have been kept by the U.S military of then bodies of unknown soldiers buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii.
A comparison was done and obtained on a possible lead, which matched up.
Today the bodies of 7,764 soldiers who served in the Korean War remain unidentified.