Bennington Michigan

O’Dea, Laurence
Army Private 1st class

Laurence O’Dea, age 18, from Shiawassee County Bennington, Michigan .

Parents: Michael O’Dea

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Friday, December 1, 1950
Death details: By mid-November 1950, U.S. and Allied forces had advanced to within approximately sixty miles of the Yalu River, the border between North Korea and China. On November 25, approximately 300,000 Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) “volunteers” suddenly and fiercely counterattacked after crossing the Yalu. The 2nd Infantry Division, located the farthest north of units at the Chongchon River, could not halt the CCF advance and was ordered to withdraw to defensive positions at Sunchon in the South Pyongan province of North Korea. As the division pulled back from Kunu-ri toward Sunchon, it conducted an intense rearguard action while fighting to break through well-defended roadblocks set up by CCF infiltrators. The withdrawal was not complete until December 1, and the 2nd Infantry Division suffered extremely heavy casualties in the process. Corporal Laurence O’Dea, who joined the U.S. Army from Michigan, served with B Company, 2nd Engineer Combat Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He went missing in action on December 1, 1950, during his unit’s withdrawal from Kunu-ri to Sunchon. No one witnessed his death, and his body was not recovered from the battle. His name does not appear on any prisoner of war reports, and his remains have not been returned to U.S. custody. Corporal O’Dea is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Levitski, Walter John
Army Private

Walter John Levitski from Shiawassee County Bennington, Michigan .

Parents: Agnes U. Levitski

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Unknown
Death details: On February 5, 1951, Allied forces in Korea launched an offensive against North Korean and Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) north of Wonju. Republic of Korea units and the 38th Infantry Regiment and supporting artillery units, including the 15th and 503rd Field Artillery Battalions, and the 82nd Antiaircraft Artillery and Automatic Weapons Battalion, initially met light resistance on their drive to the north. On February 11, the CCF launched an aggressive counteroffensive that caused the Allies to withdraw back southward. However, the CCF had established a series of roadblocks on the road to the south, forcing the Allies to fight their way back to friendly lines. Private First Class Walter John Levitski, who entered the U.S. Army from Michigan, was a member of B Company, 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. On February 12, 1951, he was taken captive near Chanbong-ni, South Korea, during the 38th Infantry Regiment’s fighting withdrawal to Hoengsong. After his capture, he was marched toward holding camps along the Yalu River in North Korea. Repatriated American POWs reported PFC Levitski died on or before May 1 at or near Suan Bean Camp, but circumstances surrounding his burial are unknown. U.S. investigators have not been able to access this area to search for his remains, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Private First Class Levitski 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, Monroe Evening News (1953), Bay City Times (1953)

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