Louis Alexander Saunders, age 27, from Calvert County Maryland.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Tuesday, February 13, 1951
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. Corporal Louis Alexander Saunders, who joined the U.S. Army from Maryland, served with Battery D, 82nd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. The unit’s M-16 and M-19 guns, which were used to break through CCF roadblocks, quickly became an enemy target. Corporal Saunders was captured by enemy forces at a CCF roadblock north of Hoengsong and forced to march to the Suan Mining Camp, where he died of unknown causes on an unspecified date. He was buried near the camp by his companions; however, his remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the war. Corporal Saunders 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.
Based on all information available, DPAA assessed the individual’s case to be in the analytical category of Deferred.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
