Fairfield Connecticut

Ring, Emmett Weaver
Army Private

Emmett Weaver Ring, age 21, from Fairfield, Connecticut, Fairfield 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. Private First Class Emmett Weaver Ring, who joined the U.S. Army from Connecticut, served with the Medical Company, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. On July 8, he was killed in action by an enemy artillery shell as he and a rifleman carried a wounded soldier on a litter. Conditions on the battlefield prevented the immediate recovery of his body, and U.S. forces did not regain control of the area where he fell. His remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire. Today, Private First Class Ring is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Hanson, Ellwood Frank
Army Sergeant 1st class

Ellwood Frank Hanson, age 17, from Fairfield, Connecticut, Fairfield county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Wednesday, April 25, 1951
Death details: On April 25, 1951, elements of the 24th Infantry Division, including the 21st Infantry Regiment and the 5th Regimental Combat Team, which was attached to the division at the time, were dug into positions north of Seoul, South Korea, where massive Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) had regrouped after their previous attempts to penetrate the valley areas east of Seoul. The CCF launched a renewed offensive against these positions, and despite fierce resistance, could not be stopped. Full enemy divisions were committed in succession, passing around or through their own lines to engage severely outnumbered friendly forces. For several miles, a withdrawal by stages unfolded. Artillery and tanks covered movement after movement, using slight rises in terrain to their full defensive value. The U.S. units suffered heavy casualties and had many men captured during these successive rear guard actions. Master Sergeant Ellwood Frank Hanson entered the U.S. Army from Connecticut and was a member of D Company of the 6th Medium Tank Battalion, 24th Infantry Division. On April 25, he was taken as a prisoner during this withdrawal action. He was marched north with other prisoners to POW Camp 1 at Changsong on the south bank of the Yalu River; however, he died of illness several days short of reaching the camp. Attempts to locate or identify his remains following the war were unsuccessful. Today, Master Sergeant Hanson is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Hill, Daniel Gene
Army Private 1st class

Daniel Gene Hill from Fairfield, Connecticut, Fairfield county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Wednesday, January 24, 1951
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 Donald Gene Hill, who joined the U.S. Army from Wyoming, served with K 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 north to the Apex prison camps in North Korea, and died of malnutrition on January 24, 1951, at the camp near Hanjang-ni. He was buried on a hillside just above the camp; however, his remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire. Today, Private First Class Hill is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Foss, Oliver Richmond Jr.
Army Private 1st class

Oliver Richmond Jr. Foss, age 20, from Fairfield County Fairfield, Connecticut .

Parents: Oliver R. Foss and preded in death by Norma Conwell Foss

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Friday, December 1, 1950
Death details: By mid-November 1950, U.S. and Allied forces had advanced to within approximately sixty miles of the Yalu River, the border between North Korea and China. On November 25, approximately 300,000 Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) “volunteers” suddenly and fiercely counterattacked after crossing the Yalu. The 2nd Infantry Division, located the farthest north of units at the Chongchon River, could not halt the CCF advance and was ordered to withdraw to defensive positions at Sunchon in the South Pyongan province of North Korea. As the division pulled back from Kunu-ri toward Sunchon, it conducted an intense rearguard action while fighting to break through well-defended roadblocks set up by CCF infiltrators. The withdrawal was not complete until December 1, and the 2nd Infantry Division suffered extremely heavy casualties in the process. Corporal Oliver Richmond Foss Jr., who joined the U.S. Army from Connecticut, was a member of the Medical Company, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was killed in action during the fighting withdrawal from Kunu-ri on December 1. His remains have not been recovered, and he was not identified among remains returned to U.S. custody after the war. Today, Corporal Foss 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.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Daily Item (1953)

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