Dowling, James Robert
Army Private

James Robert Dowling from Georgia, Ware county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Wednesday, July 12, 1950
Death details: On July 11, 1950, the U.S. Army’s 21st Infantry Regiment, which had arrived in Korea six days earlier, was placed in defensive positions near the town of Chochiwon, South Korea. The regiment was not at full strength and lacked artillery and anti-tank weapons. That day, they were attacked by North Korean forces and were forced to withdraw to avoid being surrounded, as well as to buy time until they could be reinforced and resupplied. Private First Class James Robert Dowling, who joined the U.S. Army from Georgia, served with the Medical Company, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He was captured by enemy forces on July 12, near Chochiwon and forced to march north to the Apex prison camps in North Korea. In mid-October, when the group was near Manpo, North Korea, PFC Dowling and two other prisoners attempted to escape, and were tracked down by their guards. PFC Dowling and one other soldier were shot. His remains have not been identified among those later returned to U.S. custody. Today, Private First Class Dowling is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency