Velles, Richard G.
Army Private

Richard G. Velles, age 28, from Oahu, Hawaii.

Service era: Korea
Military history: 35th Infantry Regiment

Date of death: Monday, November 27, 1950
Death details: 

During the last week of November 1950, the U.S. 25th Infantry Division was conducting offensive operations along the Ch’ongch’on and Kuryong Rivers in North Korea, driving north toward the Yalu River and the border with China. On November 25, the division’s 35th Infantry Regiment was deployed south of Unsan blocking the Unsan-Pakch’on road, when it came under attack by Chinese Communist Forces (CCF). The 35th Infantry put up a strong defense and by the next morning, still held their positions. To the east of the 35th Infantry, the CCF delivered severe blows to the remainder of the 25th Infantry Division, which forced the withdrawal of its three regiments to the Ipsok-Yongsan-dong line. By November 27, the 35th Infantry had established hasty defensive positions approximately ten miles north of the Ch’ongch’on River to protect the division’s left flank. During this action, many U.S. soldiers were lost or taken as prisoners of war (POW).

Private First Class Richard Garcia Velles entered the U.S. Army from Hawaii and served in Company F, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. Private First Class Velles went missing in action during the fighting near the Kuryong River on November 27. No one saw him fall, and he was never reported alive in enemy hands. Attempts to locate or identify his remains following the war have been unsuccessful. Today, Private First Class Velles is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, 35th Infantry Regiment Association, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency