Bolster, John L.
Army Private

John L. Bolster, age 25, from Fillmore County Chatfield, Minnesota .

Parents: Hugo Bolster

Service era: Korea
Schools: Graduated from the high school at Cook

Date of death: Friday, August 11, 1950
Death details: On August 11, 1950, twenty members of Company B, 3rd Combat Engineer Battalion, 24th Infantry Division, performed a reconnaissance patrol across the Naktong River to investigate North Korean forces near Chang-dong, South Korea. The patrol crossed to the west bank of the Naktong River, performed their reconnaissance, and were engaged by an enemy force of unknown strength. The patrol was still taking on heavy fire as they crossed the Naktong again to return from the mission, and only five members of the patrol ultimately made it back to friendly positions. Private First Class John Leonard Bolster entered the U.S. Army from Minnesota and was a member of Headquarters and Service Company, 3rd Engineer Combat Battalion, 24th Infantry Division. He was a member of the August 11 patrol, and was last seen among those returning from enemy territory attempting to swim across the Naktong River. He was never reported to be a prisoner of war, and he was not identified among remains returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire. Today, Private First Class Bolster is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. His name is also inscribed on the Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC, which was updated in 2022 to include the names of the fallen.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Post Bulletin (1954)