Bartholomew, George Herman
Army Private

George Herman Bartholomew, age 18, from San Francisco County California.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, July 27, 1950
Death details: In late July of 1950, members of the 3rd Battalion, 29th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, served as part of U.S. forces defending Korea from the advancing North Korean People’s Army (NKPA). On July 24, they were attached to the 19th Infantry Regiment, which was positioned at the southern portion of the American defensive line. On July 25, they received a warning to secure the Hadong Pass in South Korea before the NKPA arrived there. Upon the Americans’ arrival on July 27, they were ambushed by a large enemy force. Despite mounting a fierce resistance, the 19th Infantry Regiment and attached units were unable to stop the NKPA from capturing the pass. The 3rd Battalion suffered significant casualties as a result of the battle. Pvt. George Herman Bartholomew, who joined the U.S. Army from California, was a member of K Company, 3rd Battalion, 29th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He took part in the fighting at Hadong Pass and was captured by the NKPA during the battle. He joined a group of prisoners who were marched north to Seoul, South Korea, then to Pyongyang, North Korea. The exact circumstances surrounding Bartholomew’s death while in enemy custody is unknown; however, he is thought to have died of exhaustion during the march to Pyongyang. His remains have not been recovered, and he was not identified among remains returned to U.S. custody after the war. Today, he 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, Oakland Tribune (1950)