Williams, McKinley
Army Private

McKinley Williams, age 22, from Mississippi, Warren 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 McKinley Williams, who joined the U.S. Army from Michigan, served with Company A, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was initially reported missing in action on July 6 as his unit attempted to hold onto the UN-controlled half of Pork Chop Hill in the present day Demilitarized Zone. Years later, a fellow soldier reported that he and PFC Williams had been captured together on Pork Chop Hill, and during their march north to a prison camp, their group of prisoners and guards was hit by friendly artillery fire. PFC Williams was killed in the incident. He is not reported to have reached any prison camp, and his remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the war; the Army issued a presumptive finding of death on July 7, 1954. Today, Private First Class Williams is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency