Driver, James
Army Private 1st class

James Driver, age 22, from Michigan, Wayne county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Saturday, October 25, 1952
Death details: In late October 1952, elements of the U.S. 32nd Infantry Regiment attacked Chinese forces on Hill 598 (often referred to as the Triangle Hill Complex) near Kumhwa, North Korea. Triangle Hill was composed of three high peaks, two of which were nicknamed “Pike’s Peak” and “Jane Russell.” If U.S. troops could push the Chinese off Triangle Hill, the Chinese would have to fall back to the next high defensible position. The initial U.S. assault was effective; however, the Chinese quickly counterattacked, sending wave after wave of troops against the 32nd’s positions on Pike’s Peak and Jane Russell. Chinese forces eventually re-established themselves on Pike’s Peak and U.S. troops were unable to dislodge them. Private First Class James Driver, who joined the U.S. Army from Michigan, served with E Company, 2nd Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was killed on October 25 as his unit engaged Chinese Communist troops near Pike’s Peak during the Battle of Triangle Hill. Conditions on the battlefield prevented the immediate recovery of his body, and U.S. forces did not again control the area where he fell, which is now in the Demilitarized Zone. Today, Private First Class Driver is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency