Betsworth, Charles Allen
Army Sergeant 1st class

Charles Allen Betsworth, age 24, from Sedgwick County Wichita, Kansas .

Parents: Elsie Betsworth
Spouse: Roberta Betsworth

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Saturday, July 8, 1950
Death details: In early July 1950, the U.S. Army’s 34th Infantry Regiment was occupying defensive positions just above the village of P’yongt’aek, South Korea, when it came under attack by the North Korean People’s Army (NKPA) 4th Division. The 34th Infantry had previously been on garrison duty in Japan and were not yet back up to combat strength. The NKPA attack was led by tanks; vastly outnumbered and lacking effective anti-tank weapons, the 34th Infantry was completely overwhelmed. They were forced to move south to Ch’onan where hasty defensive positions were established along two roads leading further south. However, the NKPA continued its relentless attack and again pushed the 34th Infantry out of their fighting positions, driving them down the Osan-Ch’onan road. After another brief but sharp battle on the morning of July 8, the Americans began a general withdrawal south to the Kum River Line, where U.S. forces would organize a defense in the hope of keeping the NKPA from reaching Taejon. During this series of fighting withdrawals, many U.S. soldiers were killed or captured by the enemy. Sergeant First Class Charles Allen Betsworth entered the U.S. Army from Kansas and was a member of the Headquarters Company, 34th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. Before dawn on July 8, enemy tanks were moving through the streets of Ch’onan. SFC Betsworth was acting as loader for his unit’s commanding officer, who fired a rocket launcher at the rearmost vehicle in a group of four tanks that passed their position. Seconds later, the tank returned fire, killing SFC Betsworth. Soon afterward, Ch’onan was lost to the NKPA and SFC Betsworth’s body could not be recovered. His remains were not identified following the war. Today, Sergeant First Class Betsworth 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, Wichita Eagle (1950)