Paulley, Robert Louis
Army Private 1st class

Robert Louis Paulley, age 28, from Valley Station, Kentucky, Jefferson county.

Parents: Altha Paulley

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. Corporal Robert L. Paulley, who joined the U.S. Army from Kentucky, was a member of Company B of the 70th Tank battalion, 1st Cavalry Division, and his platoon was assigned to the 3rd Battalion of the 8th Cavalry Regiment. On November 1, the CCF engaged in a sneak attack on U.S. forces stationed near Unsan. Despite fierce resistance, the American battalions were forced to withdraw. While 1st and 2nd Battalions were able to retreat that night, the heavy enemy presence complicated the withdrawal, led to severe losses and caused the 3rd Battalion to become cut off from its allies behind enemy lines. The men held out against the CCF for two days before being overrun. Most of the trapped men were killed, wounded, or captured, with the remainder escaping in small groups. Corporal Paulley was lost at some point during this moving battle. He was not reported as a prisoner of war, and his remains have never been recovered. Today, Corporal Paulley is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Louisville Courier Journal (1950″