Bowman, James Charles
Army Private 1st class

James Charles Bowman, age 18, from Marion County West Virginia.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Tuesday, November 28, 1950
Death details: On Sept. 25, 2024, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Pfc. James Charles Bowman, missing from the Korean War. Bowman entered the U.S. Army from West Virginia and served in K Company, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. On Nov. 27, 1950, the 31st Regimental Combat Team (RCT) held a position at Pungnyri Inlet on the east side of the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea. That night, Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) launched a massive surprise attack. The 31st RCT repelled the initial attack but, after continuing assaults over the next two days, was forced to withdraw toward Hagaru-ri. Bowman was reported missing in action on Nov. 28. In 1954, the opposing nations reached an agreement to exchange war dead known as Operation Glory. Those remains that could not be identified with the tools available at the time were interred as unknowns at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. On March 8, 2021, DPAA personnel exhumed one set of remains, reportedly recovered near the Chosin Reservoir for further study. The laboratory analysis and the totality of the circumstantial evidence available established that the remains were those of Bowman.

Source: National Archives