Lucas, Richard Fred
Army 2nd Lieutenant

Richard Fred Lucas, age 26, from Maine, Aroostook county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, July 9, 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. Second Lieutenant Richard Fred Lucas, who joined the U.S. Army from Maine, served with Company K, 3rd Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was killed on July 9 as his unit attempted to dislodge Chinese troops from the crest of Pork Chop Hill. Conditions on the battlefield prevented the immediate recovery of his body, and U.S. forces never again controlled the hill, which became part of the Demilitarized Zone. His remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire. Today, Second Lieutenant Lucas is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency