Murphy, Christopher Michael
Army Private

Christopher Michael Murphy, age 19, from Yonkers, New York, Westchester county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Saturday, September 9, 1950
Death details: On July 30, 1950, the 24th Infantry Division’s undermanned and ill-equipped 19th Infantry Regiment, which had been rushed to Korea from garrison duty in Japan, established defensive lines around the South Korean city of Chinju. The soldiers of the 19th Infantry faced the North Korean People’s Army (NKPA), which was moving inexorably south down the Korean peninsula. The unit lacked heavy artillery and anti-tank weaponry, and the Americans were ultimately unable to stop the NKPA and were forced to withdraw further south to prevent being surrounded. Private Second Class Christopher Michael Murphy Jr., who joined the U.S. Army from New York, served with G Company, 2nd Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He was wounded during this action in the fighting near Taejon on July 30, and was captured by enemy forces. Unable to walk, he was taken to the Red Cross Hospital in Taejon where a surgeon amputated his right leg. He was then taken to a temporary prison at the police station in Taejon, where he died several days later. He was buried by fellow prisoners a short distance away; however, his remains have never been located. Today, Private Second Class Murphy is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency , findagrave.com