Seifert, Chester James
Army Private

Chester James Seifert, age 21, from New York, Onondaga county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Monday, July 6, 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 Chester James Seifert, who joined the U.S. Army from New York, served with Company A, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He went missing on July 6 when Chinese troops overran his unit’s position on the slopes of Pork Chop Hill. No one saw him fall in battle and he was never reported as a prisoner of war. Tactical conditions precluded an immediate search for him, and the area of his loss became part of the Demilitarized Zone after the ceasefire. Today, Private First Class Seifert is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency