Dewey Jr. Leiby, age 22, from Michigan, Oakland county.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Monday, July 6, 1953
Death details: On July 6, 1953, a large Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) unit attacked and overran the U.S. Army outposts on Pork Chop Hill in an attempt to seize whatever territory possible before the impending armistice agreement. After fighting for the position for four days, on July 10, the 7th Infantry Division Commander determined that the CCF disregard for casualties and desire to hold the outpost outweighed the position’s tactical value, and ordered a withdrawal that was eventually completed on July 11. The U.S. never again controlled Pork Chop Hill, preventing thorough recovery efforts for those who were killed or went missing during the fighting. Private First Class Dewey Leiby Jr., who joined the U.S. Army from Michigan, served with Company A, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He went missing on July 7 when Chinese forces overran his unit’s outposts and a portion of their defensive bunker line. Conditions on the battlefield prevented an immediate search for him. He was not reported to be a prisoner of war, and the area of his loss soon became part of the Demilitarized Zone. Today, Private First Class Leiby is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency