Hillen, James William
Army Private

James William Hillen from Michigan, Wayne county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Sunday, July 16, 1950
Death details: On the evening of July 15, 1950, the U.S. Army’s 19th Infantry Regiment held defensive positions along the south bank of the Kum River. As dusk approached, North Korean People’s Army (NKPA) tanks appeared on the opposite shore and began firing on the U.S. positions. Although U.S. troops repulsed the attacks that evening, the next morning the NKPA crossed the river and launched a major attack against the 19th Regiment. As the regiment began withdrawing south to Taejon, the North Koreans pushed deep into their defensive lines and set up a roadblock en route to Taejon. When retreating American convoys could not break through the roadblock, soldiers were forced to leave the road and attempt to make their way in small groups across the countryside. Of the 900 soldiers in the 19th Infantry when the Battle of Kum River started, only 434 made it to friendly lines. Private First Class James William Hillen entered the U.S. Army from Michigan and served with Company D, 1st Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He was captured on July 16, during the Battle of Kum River, as his unit was withdrawing through and around enemy roadblocks outside Taejon. After being held in various camps, he was forced on the Tiger March to the Apex camps along the Yalu River. He made it to the camp at Hanjang-ni, but by then, PFC Hillen was mortally ill. He died of exhaustion and illness among his companions on or around January 13, 1951. He was buried on the hillside overlooking the village; however, his remains have not been recovered following the conflict. Today, Private First Class Hillen is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency