Clifton, William Lawrence
Army Private 1st class

William Lawrence Clifton, age 19, from New Jersey, Camden county.

Parents: Oscar Clifton

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, November 2, 1950
Death details: During the last week of October 1950, Republic of Korea (ROK) Army forces under the control of the U.S. Eighth Army were advancing deep in North Korean territory, approaching the Yalu River on the Chinese-Korean border. Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) struck back in a surprise attack, engaging the ROK 1st and 6th Divisions near Unsan, some sixty miles north of Pyongyang. The U.S. 1st Cavalry Division, with the 8th Cavalry Regiment in the lead, was rushed forward to reinforce the ROK units in the Unsan area. On November 1, the regiment’s 1st Battalion took up positions north of Unsan, while the 2nd Battalion moved to guard the Nammyon River valley west of town, and the 3rd Battalion was placed in reserve at the valley’s southern end. Private First Class William Lawrence Clifton, who joined the U.S. Army from New Jersey, was a member of Company K, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. By midnight on November 1, PFC Clifton and the rest of the 8th Cavalry Regiment were forced to withdraw from the Unsan Area. The 3rd Battalion was the last to withdraw, and was surrounded and cut-off by the CCF during their movement. They formed a defensive perimeter, and withstood attacks for the next few days before survivors either broke out to avoid capture or surrendered. PFC Clifton went missing in action during the fighting on November 2, though specific details regarding his loss were unknown. He was never confirmed as a prisoner of war, and his remains were never recovered or identified. Today, Private First Class Clifton is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Kokomo Tribune (1951)