Riley, John Franklin
Army Corporal

John Franklin Riley from Seminole County Bowlegs, Oklahoma .

Parents: Legia Riley

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Unknown
Death details: On February 5, 1951, Allied forces launched an offensive against North Korean and Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) north of Wonju, Korea. Republic of Korea units, the 2nd Infantry Division’s 38th Infantry Regiment, and supporting artillery units, including the 15th and 503rd Field Artillery Battalions, along with the 82nd Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion, initially met light resistance on the drive north. However, on February 11, the CCF launched an aggressive counteroffensive that caused the Allies to withdraw to the south. A series of roadblocks established by the CCF along the road to the south forced the Allies to fight their way back toward friendly lines, and soldiers from the 2nd Infantry Division units split up in attempts to make their way south on foot. Sergeant John Franklin Riley, who joined the U.S. Army from Oklahoma, served with Battery D, 82nd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured by enemy forces on February 13, 1951, at a CFC roadblock near Hoengsong, South Korea, and was marched toward Suan Bean Camp, North Korea. He died on an unspecified date in late April before reaching the Suan Bean Camp but information about his burial is not available. His remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the war. Sergeant Riley is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. His name is also inscribed on the Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC, which was updated in 2022 to include the names of the fallen.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Seminole Producer (1954)