Mickelson, Robert
Army Private

Robert Mickelson, age 23, from Minnesota, Saint Louis 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. Private First Class Robert Mickelson, who joined the U.S. Army from Minnesota, served with Company G, 2nd Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He went missing on July 8 during heavy fighting when Chinese troops attacked his company’s positions on Pork Chop Hill. He was not seen to fall in battle or reported as a prisoner of war. Battlefield conditions prevented an immediate search for him, and the area of his loss became part of the Demilitarized Zone at the end of the war. His remains have not been identified among those returned to U.S. custody. Today, Private First Class Mickelson is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency