Clark County Missouri

Morris, Alvin Eugene
Marines Sergeant

Alvin Eugene Morris, age 21, from Kahoka, Missouri, Clark county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, March 26, 1953
Death details: In late March 1953, elements of the 1st Marine Division manned a string of outposts along a 33-mile section of the main line of resistance on the Korean Peninsula, near the present-day Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The 1st Marine Division’s 5th Marine Regiment was responsible for three of these outposts, named Carson, Reno, and Vegas, or collectively “the Nevada Cities Complex.” On March 26, Chinese Communist Forces attacked all three outposts. Although Carson managed to stave off the assault, Reno and Vegas, which were more lightly manned, eventually succumbed to the enemy. Over 1,000 Marines were killed, wounded, or went missing during the attack on the Nevada Cities Complex. Sergeant Alvin Eugene Morris, who joined the U.S. Marine Corps from Missouri, was a member of C Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. He was killed in action at the Nevada Cities Complex on March 26, 1953, and his body could not be recovered at the time of his loss. Sergeant Morris was not identified among remains returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Sergeant Morris is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Sumpter, Bill Sumpter
Army Corporal

Bill Sumpter Sumpter from Missouri, Clark 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. Sergeant Bill Swanson Sumpter entered the U.S. Army from Missouri and served with Company C, 1st Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. On the morning of July 16, while fighting at Hill 200 during the Battle of Kum River, SGT Sumpter was taken captive. SGT Sumpter was forced on the Tiger March to the Apex camps on the southern banks of the Yalu River. SGT Sumpter died at the camp near the village of Hanjang-ni, during November 1950, although the exact details surrounding his death and burial are unknown. Sergeant Sumpter’s remains were not recovered or identified following the conflict. Today, Sergeant Sumpter 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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