Acinelli, Bill Joseph
Army Private 1st class

Bill Joseph Acinelli, age 18, from Saint Louis, Missouri, Saint Louis county.

Parents: Ward of Edna Harris

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Wednesday, April 25, 1951
Death details: On April 25, 1951, elements of the 24th Infantry Division, including the 21st Infantry Regiment and the 5th Regimental Combat Team, which was attached to the division at the time, were dug into positions north of Seoul, South Korea, where massive Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) had regrouped after their previous attempts to penetrate the valley areas east of Seoul. The CCF launched a renewed offensive against these positions, and despite fierce resistance, could not be stopped. Full enemy divisions were committed in succession, passing around or through their own lines to engage severely outnumbered friendly forces. For several miles, a withdrawal by stages unfolded. Artillery and tanks covered movement after movement, using slight rises in terrain to their full defensive value. The U.S. units suffered heavy casualties and had many men captured during these successive rear guard actions. Private First Class Bill Joseph Acinelli entered the U.S. Army from Missouri and was a member of L Company, 3rd Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. On April 25, members of his unit were supporting a defensive line west of the Hwach-on Reservoir. The enemy launched heavy attacks which finally penetrated the line, and it was during this portion of the battle that PFC Acinelli went missing, though circumstances surrounding his loss are unknown. He was not reported as a prisoner of war nor were any remains associated with him returned to the U.S. since the ceasefire. He remains unaccounted for. Today, Private First Class Acinelli is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Saint Louis Post Dispatch (1951)