Nixon, William Herald
Army Corporal

William Herald Nixon from Ohio, Lorain county.

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. Sergeant William Herald Nixon joined the U.S. Army from Ohio and was a member of Company K of the 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. On November 2, 1950, Company K was part of a group of the 3rd Battalion defense perimeter south of Unsan. The 8th Cavalry Regiment was cut off from its allies during a CCF surprise attack, and were forced to withdraw, despite fierce resistance. It was during this time that SGT Nixon went missing. Following the ceasefire, a returning prisoner of war (POW) reported that SGT Nixon had been captured by the CCF, and died at POW Camp 5 at Pyoktong North Korea of malnutrition. He was not identified among the remains returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire. Today, Sergeant Nixon is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency