Westlund, Virgil Earl
Army Corporal

Virgil Earl Westlund, age 25, from Colona, Illinois, Henry county.

Service era: Korea
Military history: 35th Infantry Regiment

Date of death: Friday, September 7, 1951
Death details: 

On September 7, 1951, members of the 3rd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, were positioned on Hill 682 and Hill 717, located south of Pyonggang, North Korea, in the “No Man’s Land” between the front lines of U.S. forces and the opposing Communist Chinese and North Koreans. After coming under heavy fire from Chinese and North Korean artillery, the 3rd Battalion was forced to fall back to Hill 717 to their west. Enemy action then pushed the 3rd Battalion to Hill 432, where the supporting batteries of the 64th Field Artillery were stationed. They were attacked again that night, but repulsed the enemy. On the morning of September 8, the 3rd Battalion launched a patrol to Hill 717 to search for the dead and missing, but enemy presence there stymied search efforts. During the patrol’s return to Hill 432, they encountered a small enemy force, and a firefight ensued until the enemy was dispersed. That night, Hill 432 came under yet another attack. Although the defensive perimeter was penetrated in several places, the enemy was ultimately repelled, and the perimeter re-established. After this fighting, the 3rd Battalion was relieved by the 2nd Battalion.

Corporal Virgil Earl Westlund, who joined the U.S. Army from Illinois, was a member of Company L, 3rd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. He was killed in action on September 7, 1951, at some point during the battle at Hill 682 and Hill 717, though the specific details surrounding his death are unknown. His remains were not recovered at the time of his loss, and they were not identified among remains returned to U.S. custody after the war. Today, Corporal Westlund is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: 35th Infantry Regiment Association, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency