Bowden, Gerald Burdette
Army Sergeant

Gerald Burdette Bowden, age 21, from South Dakota, Lake 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.

Sergeant First Class Gerald Burdette Bowden entered the U.S. Army from South Dakota and was a member of Company K, 3rd Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was mortally wounded on July 9 during the action at Pork Chop Hill, and was last seen attempting to reach an aid station. His remains could not be recovered at the time of his loss due to battle conditions, and further attempts to locate them were unsuccessful. Today, Sergeant First Class Bowden is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Cemetery: Memorialized in Black Hills National

Source: National Archives, grave marker, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency