Heston, Loren
Army Private 1st class

Loren Heston, age 17, from Franklin County Ohio.

Parents: Paul Kelly Jr.

Service era: Korea
Schools: McKinley High

Date of death: Tuesday, November 28, 1950
Death details: On November 27, 1950, the 31st Regimental Combat Team (RCT), tasked with replacing the 5th Marine Regiment on the east side of the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea, arrived at the P’ungnyuri Inlet. That night, Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) launched a massive surprise attack against the soldiers and Marines at the inlet. The 31st RCT managed to repel the numerically superior CCF’s initial attack; however, the enemy continued to attack over the next two nights. On December 1, the 31st RCT began its withdrawal from the P’ungnyuri Inlet to Hagaru-ri. Corporal Loren Heston, who joined the U.S. Army from Ohio, served with Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on November 28, 1950, during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, as his unit fought the CCF at the P’ungnyuri Inlet. The specific events pertaining to his loss are unknown; however he was not reported to be a prisoner of war and his remains were not recovered or identified after the war. Today, Corporal Heston is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. His name is also inscribed on the Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC, which was updated in 2022 to include the names of the fallen.

Source: National Archives, Dayton Daily News (1951)