Wise, Luther
Army Sergeant 1st class

Luther Wise, age 31, from South Carolina, Richland county.

Parents: John O. Wise
Spouse: Married

Service era: Korea
Schools: Arden

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. Master Sergeant Luther Wise joined the U.S. Army from South Carolina and was a member of Company L, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. On November 2, 1950, Company L was in defensive positions with the 3rd Battalion near Unsan when it was attacked and forced to withdraw. Master Sergeant Wise went missing during the withdrawal combat, though specifics surrounding his loss are unknown. Following the battle, a survivor reported that MSG Wise’s remains were seen with other American dead at the 3rd Battalion Command Post dugout around November 4, 1950; however, they he was not identified among the remains recovered and returned to the U.S. following the ceasefire. Today, Master Sergeant Wise is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, The State (1954)