Morton, Raeford L.
Army Private 1st class

Raeford L. Morton, age 21, from Stanly County Albemarie, North Carolina .

Parents: U.P. Morton

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Tuesday, July 14, 1953
Death details: On July 13, 1953, the U.S. Army’s 555th Field Artillery Battalion was positioned to support the Republic of Korea (ROK) 6th Division along a stretch of line known as the Kumsong Salient, when the Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) launched a massive night attack. The 555th Field Artillery continued to fire in support of the ROK forces during the initial stage of the attack, despite coming under heavy enemy artillery fire themselves. However, early on July 14, CCF troops penetrated the ROK lines and were able to attack the 555th’s own positions. Several battery positions were overrun by the numerically superior attackers before a withdrawal order was received. By that point, few men were actually able to withdraw. Some managed to evade enemy forces and work their way back to friendly lines over the following days, but a number of the 555th Field Artillery’s men were captured by the enemy or went missing. The battlefield now lies on the North Korean side of the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea. Corporal Raeford Lee Morton, who entered the U.S. Army from North Carolina, served with Battery C, 555th Field Artillery Battalion, 24th Infantry Division. He was with his fellow members of Battery C at the time of the CCF attack on July 14, 1953, and was reported missing following the incident. His remains were not recovered at the time, and subsequent search efforts have been impeded by the fact that the loss area now lies in North Korean territory. Today, Corporal Morton is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Charlotte Observer (1953)