Hughes, Wayne Grayson
Army Private

Wayne Grayson Hughes, age 17, from Garland County Hot Springs, Arkansas .

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Tuesday, February 13, 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. Private First Class Wayne Grayson Hughes entered the U.S. Army from Arkansas and was a member of L Company, 3rd Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He went missing in action during the Regiment’s fighting withdrawal and was later reported as a prisoner of war (POW) by other POWs who returned to U.S. custody. One report indicated that PFC Hughes died while in enemy custody, but details of his death or the disposition of his remains is not known. He has not been associated with the remains later returned to U.S. custody. Today, Private First Class Hughes 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, Southwest American (1953)