Leroy J. Dove, age 19, from Branch County Coldwater, Michigan .
Parents: Dolpha Dove
Service era: Korea
Schools: Bethel Block (1945)
Date of death: Unknown
Death details: In late July of 1950, members of the 3rd Battalion, 29th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, served as part of U.S. forces defending Korea from the advancing North Korean People’s Army (NKPA). On July 24, they were attached to the 19th Infantry Regiment, which was positioned at the southern portion of the American defensive line. On July 25, they received a warning to secure the Hadong Pass in South Korea before the NKPA arrived there. Upon the Americans’ arrival on July 27, they were ambushed by a large enemy force. Despite mounting a fierce resistance, the 19th Infantry Regiment and attached units were unable to stop the NKPA from capturing the pass. The 3rd Battalion suffered significant casualties as a result of the battle. Corporal Leroy J. Dove Jr., who joined the U.S. Army from Michigan, was a member of I Company, 3rd Battalion, 29th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He took part in the fighting at Hadong Pass, and was captured by the NKPA during the battle. He joined a group of prisoners who were marched north first to Seoul, then to Pyongyang. Corporal Dove died at some point while in enemy custody; however, the exact circumstances surrounding his loss are unknown. His remains have not been located, and he was not identified among remains returned to the U.S. following the war. Today, Corporal Dove 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, Battle Creek Enquirer (1954)
