Melendez, Alberto
Army Corporal

Alberto Melendez, age 22, from Puerto Rico.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, October 23, 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. Corporal Alberto Melendez-Melendez entered the U.S. Army from Puerto Rico and served with F Company, 2nd Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing on October 23, 1952, after defending Hill 598 near Kumhwa with other members of his unit. No one saw CPL Melendez-Melendez fall in battle, and he was never reported to be a prisoner of war. U.S. forces did not again control the area where he disappeared, and Hill 598 was located on the North Korean side of the Demilitarized Zone after the ceasefire, precluding search efforts there. Corporal Melendez-Melendez’s remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the war, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Corporal Melendez-Melendez is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency