After being missing for more than 75 years, the remains of PFC Joseph “Dile” Chancery are being returned home with a military escort.
Chancery was a 20-year-old U.S. Army private first class from Atmore who was killed in action during the Korean War. According to an obituary from Radney Funeral Home in Mobile, his remains were set to arrive at the Pensacola airport Thursday, Aug. 6, at 10:43 a.m.
Chancery served in the Army’s Battery A, 57th Field Artillery Battalion, 7th Infantry Division. His unit came under attack Nov. 28, 1950, at the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in North Korea. “He was reported killed in action after fierce combat under brutal conditions, but his remains could not be recovered,” the release said. He was later classified as missing in action. Chancery’s remains were officially identified March 24, 2026, by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, and he was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart.
Chancery’s remains will be escorted to Radney Funeral Home in Mobile by a procession of law enforcement, military personnel, Patriot Guard Riders and family members. The Mobile Bay Veterans Commission is hosting a Purple Heart Salute from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at the Daphne Civic Center, where organizers expect 45 to 50 Purple Heart recipients to be honored and the Purple Heart medal to be formally presented to the Chancery family.
A funeral service with full military honors is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 8, at 10 a.m. at Lottie United Methodist Church Cemetery, 59635 Jack Springs Road near Atmore, officiated by retired Rear Adm. Phillip Lee Jr., U.S. Navy. A procession similar to the one escorting Chancery from the airport will carry his remains from the funeral home at 3155 Dauphin Street in Mobile to the cemetery, departing around 8:30 a.m. Saturday.
Chancery will be buried next to his parents, Leonard Chancery and Martha Jane Posten Chancery, his brother George, and his sister Gladys. The service is open to the public and will be followed by a luncheon for family, friends, veterans and the community at the Lottie Volunteer Fire Department. Instead of flowers, the family is asking that donations be made to the Lottie United Methodist Church Cemetery.