Romeo, Peter Richard
Army Sergeant

Peter Richard Romeo, age 24, from New York, Chenango 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. Sergeant First Class Peter Richard Romeo, who joined the U.S. Army from New York, served with Company I, 3rd Battalion, 32nd Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was killed in action on July 11 when Chinese troops overran his unit’s position on Pork Chop Hill. Conditions on the battlefield prevented the immediate recovery of his body, and later that evening U.S. forces withdrew from Pork Chop Hill. When the Armistice was signed weeks later, the area where SFC Romeo fell became part of the Demilitarized Zone. His remains were not identified among those later returned to U.S. custody. Today, Sergeant First Class Romeo is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency