Gill, Leo George
Army Sergeant

Leo George Gill, age 19, from Effingham County Teutopolis, Illinois .

Parents: Burney J. Gill

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Monday, February 12, 1951
Death details: On February 5, 1951, Allied forces in Korea launched an offensive against North Korean and Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) north of Wonju. Republic of Korea units and the 38th Infantry Regiment and supporting artillery units, including the 15th and 503rd Field Artillery Battalions, and the 82nd Antiaircraft Artillery and Automatic Weapons Battalion, initially met light resistance on their drive to the north. On February 11, the CCF launched an aggressive counteroffensive that caused the Allies to withdraw back southward. However, the CCF had established a series of roadblocks on the road to the south, forcing the Allies to fight their way back to friendly lines. Sergeant First Class Leo George Gill entered the U.S. Army from Illinois and was a member of the Medical Company of the 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. On February 12, 1951, he was taken as a prisoner of war (POW) during the 38th Infantry Regiment’s withdrawal, as he attempted to clear a roadblock near Hoengsong, South Korea. After his capture, he was likely marched with other prisoners toward holding camps along the Yalu River in North Korea. He was given a presumptive finding of death of December 31, 1953, as specific details surrounding his loss are unknown. U.S. investigators have not been able to access the POW camps along the Yalu River, and SFC Gill has not been associated with any remains returned to U.S. custody after the war. Today, Sergeant First Class Gill 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, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Effingham Daily News (1951)