Chenango County New York

Romeo, Peter Richard
Army Sergeant

Peter Richard Romeo, age 24, from New York, Chenango county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Saturday, July 11, 1953
Death details: On July 6, 1953, a large Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) unit attacked and overran the U.S. Army outposts on Pork Chop Hill in an attempt to seize whatever territory possible before the impending armistice agreement. After fighting for the position for four days, on July 10, the 7th Infantry Division Commander determined that the CCF disregard for casualties and desire to hold the outpost outweighed the position’s tactical value, and ordered a withdrawal that was eventually completed on July 11. The U.S. never again controlled Pork Chop Hill, preventing thorough recovery efforts for those who were killed or went missing during the fighting. Sergeant First Class Peter Richard Romeo, who joined the U.S. Army from New York, served with Company I, 3rd Battalion, 32nd Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was killed in action on July 11 when Chinese troops overran his unit’s position on Pork Chop Hill. Conditions on the battlefield prevented the immediate recovery of his body, and later that evening U.S. forces withdrew from Pork Chop Hill. When the Armistice was signed weeks later, the area where SFC Romeo fell became part of the Demilitarized Zone. His remains were not identified among those later returned to U.S. custody. Today, Sergeant First Class Romeo is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Weaver, Roger John
Army Corporal

Roger John Weaver, age 28, from New York, Chenango 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 Roger John Weaver joined the U.S. Army from New York and was a member of Company L, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. On November 2, 1950, Company L was in defensive positions with the 3rd Battalion near Unsan, when it was attacked and forced to withdraw. Sergeant Weaver became missing during the fighting withdrawal, though specifics surrounding his loss are unknown. He was not reported to be a prisoner of war, and his remains were not identified among those returned to the U.S. following the ceasefire. Today, Sergeant Weaver is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Cluff, William Richard
Army 1st Lieutenant

William Richard Cluff, age 26, from New York, Chenango county.

Service era: Korea
Military history: 24th Infantry, 25th Infantry Division; Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart

Date of death: Saturday, July 29, 1950
Death details: Killed in action
Cemetery: Zachary Taylor National

Source: National Archives, grave marker

Pettis, Gilbert Lester
Army Private 1st Class

Gilbert Lester Pettis from New York, Chenango county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Sunday, July 16, 1950
Death details: On the evening of July 15, 1950, the U.S. Army’s 19th Infantry Regiment held defensive positions along the south bank of the Kum River. As dusk approached, North Korean People’s Army (NKPA) tanks appeared on the opposite shore and began firing on the U.S. positions. Although U.S. troops repulsed the attacks that evening, the next morning the NKPA crossed the river and launched a major attack against the 19th Regiment. As the regiment began withdrawing south to Taejon, the North Koreans pushed deep into their defensive lines and set up a roadblock en route to Taejon. When retreating American convoys could not break through the roadblock, soldiers were forced to leave the road and attempt to make their way in small groups across the countryside. Of the 900 soldiers in the 19th Infantry when the Battle of Kum River started, only 434 made it to friendly lines. Corporal Gilbert Lester Pettis entered the U.S. Army from New York and served with Company C, 1st Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He was captured on July 16, 1950, during the Battle of Kum River, while attempting to withdraw through the enemy roadblock outside Taejon. After his capture, he was a part of a group of prisoners of war (POW) known as “Tiger Group” who were marched to various holding camps in North Korea. In mid-September, in the North Korean’s attempt to evade the allies, CPL Pettis and “Tiger Group” were moved from point to point around the village of Manpo before finally recollecting at a temporary camp known as the “Cornfield Site.” By then, CPL Pettis was mortally ill, and he died while still at the “Cornfield Site.” Corporal Pettis’s remains have not been recovered, and he was not identified among any of the remains returned to the U.S. following the war. Today, Corporal Pettis is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Bates, Lawrence J.
Army Staff sergeant

Lawrence J. Bates from New York, Chenango county.

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Wednesday, November 8, 1944
Death details: The Battle of the Hürtgen Forest, one of the bloodiest conflicts of World War II, was fought between Allied and German forces from September 1944 to February 1945. As U.S. forces advanced eastward into Germany, the defending Germans manned “Siegfried Line” positions opposite the Belgian border. The battle grew to involve approximately 200,000 troops, with tens of thousands of casualties on both sides. American forces initially entered the area seeking to block German reinforcements from moving north toward the fighting around Aachen, the westernmost city of Germany, near the borders with Belgium and the Netherlands. In the battle’s second phase and as part of the Allied’s larger offense toward the Rhine River, U.S. troops attempted to push through the forest to the banks of Roer River. Aided by bad weather and rough terrain, German forces in the Hürtgen Forest put up unexpectedly strong resistance due to a well-prepared defense. American forces were unable to break through to the Rur before the German Ardennes offensive struck in December 1944, known as the Battle of the Bulge, which halted the eastward Allied advance until February 1945. Staff Sergeant Lawrence J. Bates, who entered the U.S. Army from New York, served with Company L, 112th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division, at the time of the Battle of Hurtgen Forest. On November 8, 1944, his unit participated in a mission to seize and hold the village of Schmidt, Germany; however, German troops overran and encircled the position, forcing the U.S. troops’ withdrawal. SSG Bates was killed during the action by a direct hit from an enemy artillery shell, but because the area remained in enemy hands, it was not possible to search for his remains at the time. After the war, U.S. military investigators attempted to locate SSG Bates’ remains but were not successful. Today, Staff Sergeant Bates is memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing at the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery in Hombourg, Belgium.
Cemetery: Tablets of the Missing at Henri-Chapelle American, Belgium

Source: National Archives, American Battle Monuments Commission, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

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