Vasquez, Albert Max
Army Private 1st class

Albert Max Vasquez, age 20, from California, Shasta county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, July 9, 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 Albert Max Vasquez, who joined the U.S. Army from California, served with Company K, 3rd Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He went missing in action on July 9 when his unit attacked Chinese troops manning positions on the crest of Pork Chop Hill. He was not seen to fall in battle, and conditions on the battlefield prevented a search for him. He was not reported to be a prisoner of war. U.S. forces withdrew from Pork Chop Hill over the next couple of days, and after the ceasefire the area became part of the Demilitarized Zone and the Army declared him dead by presumptive finding on December 31, 1953. Today, Private First Class Vasquez is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency