Izquierdo, Francisco A.
Army Private 1st class
Francisco A. Izquierdo from Texas, Webb county.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Saturday, December 2, 1950
Death details: On the evening of November 27, 1950, Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) launched a massive attack against the U.S. and United Nations troops stationed in the Chosin Reservoir area in northeast North Korea, resulting in a seventeen-day conflict that became known as the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. At the time of the initial CCF attack, members the U.S. Army’s 31st and 32nd Infantry Regiments were defending the area north of Sinhung-ni, on the east side of the reservoir. The defenders were overwhelmed by the numerically superior CCF, and on December 1, were forced to withdraw to friendly lines at Hagaru-ri. Chinese roadblocks from Sinhung-ni to Hagaru-ri along with the constant enemy fire from the surrounding high ground, made the withdrawal route extremely dangerous. Eventually, the column was broken into separate segments, which the CCF attacked individually. Many men were lost or captured during the moving battle, with survivors reaching friendly lines in Hagaru-ri on December 2 and 3. Private First Class Francisco A. Izquierdo, who entered the U.S. Army from Texas, was a member of Company I, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. Private First Class Izquierdo was killed in action near the Chosin Reservoir on December 2, at some point during the withdrawal from Sinhung-ni to Hagaru-ri. Specific details regarding PFC Izquierdo’s loss are unknown; his body was not recovered and he remains unaccounted-for. Today, Private First Class Izquierdo is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Francisco was my uncle. He was 1 out of 4 sons of my grandparents who served our country during World War II and Korean War. The loss of Francisco was devastating for my grandparents and his siblings. If anyone has a photo of my uncle or more information, please share with me. I never saw any photos of him. Thank you in advance.