Louis Joseph Panacek, age 21, from Illinois, Cook county.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Wednesday, July 8, 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. Corporal Louis Joseph Panacek, who joined the U.S. Army from Illinois, served with Company E, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He went missing on July 8 as his unit fought Chinese troops for control of Pork Chop Hill. No one saw him fall in battle, and due to conditions on the battlefield a search could not be conducted for him. He was not reported to be a prisoner of war, and his remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire. Today, Corporal Panacek is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency