Weldon, Elbert
Army Private 1st class

Elbert Weldon from Lee County Opelika, Alabama .

Parents: Euel C. Weldon

Service era: Korea
Schools: Lee County 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 Elbert Weldon, who joined the U.S. Army from Alabama, served with the Medical Company, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on November 28, 1950, during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. Corporal Weldon was last seen during the fighting at the P’ungnyuri Inlet when the CCF breached the 31st RCT’s defensive perimeter and attempted to capture U.S. artillery pieces. The specifics surrounding his loss are unclear; however he was not reported to be a prisoner of war and his remains were not recovered or identified after the war. Today, Corporal Weldon 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, Opelika Auburn News (1954)