Basham, John Harison
Army Private

John Harison Basham, age 19, from Kentucky, Jefferson county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Wednesday, April 25, 1951
Death details: On April 25, 1951, elements of the 24th Infantry Division, including the 21st Infantry Regiment and the 5th Regimental Combat Team, which was attached to the division at the time, were dug into positions north of Seoul, South Korea, where massive Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) had regrouped after their previous attempts to penetrate the valley areas east of Seoul. The CCF launched a renewed offensive against these positions, and despite fierce resistance, could not be stopped. Full enemy divisions were committed in succession, passing around or through their own lines to engage severely outnumbered friendly forces. For several miles, a withdrawal by stages unfolded. Artillery and tanks covered movement after movement, using slight rises in terrain to their full defensive value. The U.S. units suffered heavy casualties and had many men captured during these successive rear guard actions. Private First Class John Harrison Basham entered the U.S. Army from Kentucky and was a member of I Company, 3rd Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. On April 25, he went missing in action during these withdrawals. He was never reported to be a prisoner of war, and his remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody following the ceasefire. Today, Private First Class Basham is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency