Jeffrey Paul Searles, age 20, from Lamoni, Iowa, Decatur county.
Parents: Mr. and Mrs. Glenn Sherman
Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Graceland College in Lamoni
Date of death: Sunday, April 19, 1970
Death details: Hostile in South Vietnam
Source: National Archives, Wisconsin State Journal (1970)
Velton Rayford McDonald, age 20, from Iowa, Decatur county.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Wednesday, July 8, 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. Corporal Velton Rayford McDonald, who joined the U.S. Army from Iowa, served with Company F, 2nd Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He went missing on July 8, 1953, during the attack on Pork Chop Hill. His remains could not be recovered or identified following the battle and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Corporal McDonald is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency