Powell, John Phillip
Army Private 1st class

John Phillip Powell, age 21, from Pennsylvania, Luzerne county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Saturday, July 11, 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. Corporal John Phillip Powell, who joined the U.S. Army from Pennsylvania, served with Company I, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was killed in action on July 11 as his unit fought Chinese troops for control of Pork Chop Hill. Conditions on the battlefield prevented the immediate recovery of his body, and the next day U.S. forces withdrew from Pork Chop Hill. Corporal Powell’s remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire. Today, Corporal Powell is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency