California California

Romo, Angel Peter
Army Private

Angel Peter Romo from California, Los Angeles county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Wednesday, November 8, 1950
Death details: On July 11, 1950, the U.S. Army’s 21st Infantry Regiment, which had arrived in Korea six days earlier, was placed in defensive positions near the town of Chochiwon, South Korea. The regiment was not at full strength and lacked artillery and anti-tank weapons. That day, they were attacked by North Korean forces and were forced to withdraw to avoid being surrounded, as well as to buy time until they could be reinforced and resupplied. Private First Class Angel Pete Romo, who joined the U.S. Army from California, served with I Company, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He was captured by enemy forces on July 11, as his unit fought a series of delaying actions between Pyongtaek and Chochiwon. He was forced to march to the Apex prison camps in North Korea, but he was suffering from exhaustion and pneumonia and was eventually unable to walk without assistance. On November 8, a guard ordered PFC Romo’s companions to stop helping him, and he collapsed on the side of the road. His companions were forced to move on without him. They later stated that they believed PFC Romo was shot by the guard. His remains have not been identified among those returned to U.S. custody. Today, Private First Class Romo is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Balanon Jr., Pastor
Army Private 1st class

Pastor Balanon Jr., age 22, from California, San Francisco county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, November 2, 1950
Death details: On November 16, 2006, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC, now DPAA) identified the remains of Corporal Pastor Balanon Jr., missing from the Korean War. Corporal Balanon entered the U.S. Army from California and served in Company L, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. On November 1, 1950, the 8th Cavalry Regiment was rushed forward to reinforce allied Republic of Korea Forces at Unsan that had been attacked by Chinese Communist Forces. CPL Balanon was reported killed in action on November 2, during the Battle of Unsan and was buried nearby the town. In 2001, a joint U.S. and North Korean team excavated a burial site south of Unsan and recovered human remains. Forensic analysts were able to identify CPL Balanon from among these remains.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Cavagnaro, John Stanwood
Army Private 1st class

John Stanwood Cavagnaro, age 22, from California, Alameda county.

Parents: Grace M. Cavagnaro

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, November 2, 1950
Death details: During the last week of October 1950, Republic of Korea (ROK) Army forces under the control of the U.S. Eighth Army were advancing deep in North Korean territory, approaching the Yalu River on the Chinese-Korean border. Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) struck back in a surprise attack, engaging the ROK 1st and 6th Divisions near Unsan, some sixty miles north of Pyongyang. The U.S. 1st Cavalry Division, with the 8th Cavalry Regiment in the lead, was rushed forward to reinforce the ROK units in the Unsan area. On November 1, the regiment’s 1st Battalion took up positions north of Unsan, while the 2nd Battalion moved to guard the Nammyon River valley west of town, and the 3rd Battalion was placed in reserve at the valley’s southern end. Private First Class Patrick Thomas Cassatt, who joined the U.S. Army from Montana, was a member of Company E of the 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. On November 1, 1950, he was with members of Company E defending its sector near Unsan; his unit came under heavy enemy fire and he went missing during the chaotic fighting that followed. He was not listed as a prisoner of war, and his remains have not been recovered or identified following the ceasefire. Today, Private First Class Cassatt is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Oakland Tribune (1954)

Heflin, Joseph Lee
Army Sergeant

Joseph Lee Heflin, age 21, from California, Merced county.

Parents: Mrs. Myrile Yarbrough

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, November 2, 1950
Death details: During the last week of October 1950, Republic of Korea (ROK) Army forces under the control of the U.S. Eighth Army were advancing deep in North Korean territory, approaching the Yalu River on the Chinese-Korean border. Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) struck back in a surprise attack, engaging the ROK 1st and 6th Divisions near Unsan, some sixty miles north of Pyongyang. The U.S. 1st Cavalry Division, with the 8th Cavalry Regiment in the lead, was rushed forward to reinforce the ROK units in the Unsan area. On November 1, the regiment’s 1st Battalion took up positions north of Unsan, while the 2nd Battalion moved to guard the Nammyon River valley west of town, and the 3rd Battalion was placed in reserve at the valley’s southern end. Sergeant First Class Joseph Lee Heflin joined the U.S. Army from California and was a member of Company E of the 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. On November 1, 1950, Company E was in defensive positions with the 2nd Battalion near Unsan when it came under heavy attacks and was forced to withdraw. Sergeant First Class Heflin went missing during this action, though circumstances surrounding his loss are unknown. He was never reported as a prisoner of war, and he was not identified among any remains returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire. Today, Sergeant First Class Heflin is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Chico Enterprise Record (1954)

Rule, Willard Alton
Army Sergeant

Willard Alton Rule, age 39, from California, Alameda county.

Parents: Mary McEwen
Children: Three daughters

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, November 2, 1950
Death details: During the last week of October 1950, Republic of Korea (ROK) Army forces under the control of the U.S. Eighth Army were advancing deep in North Korean territory, approaching the Yalu River on the Chinese-Korean border. Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) struck back in a surprise attack, engaging the ROK 1st and 6th Divisions near Unsan, some sixty miles north of Pyongyang. The U.S. 1st Cavalry Division, with the 8th Cavalry Regiment in the lead, was rushed forward to reinforce the ROK units in the Unsan area. On November 1, the regiment’s 1st Battalion took up positions north of Unsan, while the 2nd Battalion moved to guard the Nammyon River valley west of town, and the 3rd Battalion was placed in reserve at the valley’s southern end. Sergeant First Class Willard Alton Rule joined the U.S. Army from California and was a member of Company A of the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. On November 2, 1950, Company A was in defensive positions with the 1st Battalion near Unsan when it came under intense attack and was forced to withdraw. Sergeant First Class Rule was reported missing during the withdrawal, though specific details regarding his loss are unknown. He was never reported as a prisoner of war, and his remains were not identified among those returned to the U.S. following the war. Today, Sergeant First Class Rule is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Oakland Tribune (1954)

Sisk, Homer Lee Jr.
Army Private 1st class

Homer Lee Jr. Sisk, age 20, from California, Tulare county.

Parents: Ward of Justin C. Crowell

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, November 2, 1950
Death details: On August 15, 2006, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC, now DPAA) identified the remains of Corporal Homer Lee Sisk Jr., missing from the Korean War. Corporal Sisk entered the U.S. Army from California and served with Company D, 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. On November 2, 1950, members of Company D were occupying a defensive position near Unsan, North Korea, north of a bend in the Kuryong River known as the “Camel’s Head Bend.” That day, elements of the Chinese Communist Forces struck the 1st Cavalry Division’s lines, collapsing the perimeter and forcing a withdrawal. CPL Sisk did not survive this combat, though the details surrounding his loss are not recorded and his body was not recovered at the time. In 2000, a joint U.S./North Korean investigation team interviewed a farmer living near Unsan, who led the team to a burial site where they uncovered human remains; U.S. analysts used forensic technology to identify CPL Sisk from these remains.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, San Bernardino County Sun (1950)

Stamer, Francis Harold
Army Major sergeant

Francis Harold Stamer from California, Los Angeles county.

Parents: George Frank Stamer

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, November 2, 1950
Death details: Army Master Sgt. Francis H. Stamer of San Fernando, California, will be buried May 6, in Arlington National Cemetery. On Nov. 1, 1950, Stamer was assigned to Company M, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, when his unit was attacked by Chinese forces at Unsan village in North Korea. This attack forced the unit to withdraw five miles southeast to Ipsok village. Stamer was reported missing in action on Nov. 2, 1950. A military board later amended his status to killed in action. Between 1990 and 1994, North Korea turned over to the U.S. 208 boxes of human remains believed to contain more than 400 U.S. servicemen who fought during the war. North Korean documents, turned over with some of the boxes, indicated that some of the remains were recovered from the area where Stamer was believed to have died. To identify Stamer’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL) used circumstantial evidence and forensic identification tools, including two forms of DNA analysis; mitochondrial DNA, which matched his niece and Y-chromosomal Short Tandem Repeat (Y-STR) DNA, which matched his nephew.
Cemetery: Arlington National

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Poughkeepsie Journal (1954)

Strong, William Augusta
Army Private

William Augusta Strong from California, Trinity county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, November 2, 1950
Death details: During the last week of October 1950, Republic of Korea (ROK) Army forces under the control of the U.S. Eighth Army were advancing deep in North Korean territory, approaching the Yalu River on the Chinese-Korean border. Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) struck back in a surprise attack, engaging the ROK 1st and 6th Divisions near Unsan, some sixty miles north of Pyongyang. The U.S. 1st Cavalry Division, with the 8th Cavalry Regiment in the lead, was rushed forward to reinforce the ROK units in the Unsan area. On November 1, the regiment’s 1st Battalion took up positions north of Unsan, while the 2nd Battalion moved to guard the Nammyon River valley west of town, and the 3rd Battalion was placed in reserve at the valley’s southern end. Private First Class William Augusta Strong joined the U.S. Army from California and was a member of Company E of the 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. On November 2, 1950, Company E was defending positions near Unsan, North Korea, and PFC Strong was taken prisoner of war (POW) during this combat. After his capture, he was marched to POW Camp 5 at Pyoktong, where he died of malnutrition in February 1951, and was buried nearby. His remains were not recovered at the time, and he has not been identified among the remains returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire. Today, Private First Class Strong is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Watts, James Edgar
Army Corporal

James Edgar Watts, age 25, from California, Los Angeles county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, November 2, 1950
Death details: During the last week of October 1950, Republic of Korea (ROK) Army forces under the control of the U.S. Eighth Army were advancing deep in North Korean territory, approaching the Yalu River on the Chinese-Korean border. Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) struck back in a surprise attack, engaging the ROK 1st and 6th Divisions near Unsan, some sixty miles north of Pyongyang. The U.S. 1st Cavalry Division, with the 8th Cavalry Regiment in the lead, was rushed forward to reinforce the ROK units in the Unsan area. On November 1, the regiment’s 1st Battalion took up positions north of Unsan, while the 2nd Battalion moved to guard the Nammyon River valley west of town, and the 3rd Battalion was placed in reserve at the valley’s southern end. Sergeant James Edgar Watts entered the U.S. Army from California and served with Headquarters Company of the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. On November 2, 1950, Headquarters Company was near Unsan with the 1st Battalion. The unit came under heavy attacks and received orders to withdraw. Nearly surrounded and besieged by CCF, withdrawing American units became trapped and some dug inside foxholes or behind bunkers. Sergeant Watts became missing during the withdrawal and most likely fell in a rear-guard action during the night, though specific details surrounding his loss are unknown. He was never reported as a prisoner of war nor was he identified among remains returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire. Today, Sergeant Watts is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Zaragoza, Manuel Garcia
Army Sergeant

Manuel Garcia Zaragoza, age 20, from California, Kings county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, November 2, 1950
Death details: During the last week of October 1950, Republic of Korea (ROK) Army forces under the control of the U.S. Eighth Army were advancing deep in North Korean territory, approaching the Yalu River on the Chinese-Korean border. Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) struck back in a surprise attack, engaging the ROK 1st and 6th Divisions near Unsan, some sixty miles north of Pyongyang. The U.S. 1st Cavalry Division, with the 8th Cavalry Regiment in the lead, was rushed forward to reinforce the ROK units in the Unsan area. On November 1, the regiment’s 1st Battalion took up positions north of Unsan, while the 2nd Battalion moved to guard the Nammyon River valley west of town, and the 3rd Battalion was placed in reserve at the valley’s southern end. Sergeant First Class Manuel Garcia Zaragoza joined the U.S. Army from California and was a member of Company K of the 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. On November 2, 1950, the 8th Cavalry Regiment was cut off from its allies during a CCF surprise attack and forced to withdraw. It was during this fighting withdrawal that SFC Zaragoza went missing. At the end of the war, repatriated American prisoners of war reported that SFC Zaragoza was killed during combat near the 3rd Battalion’s Command Post, and that the active combat prevented any immediate recovery of his remains. His remains have not been identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire. Today, Sergeant First Class Zaragoza is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

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