John Russell Lawrence, age 31, from Fannin County Texas.
Spouse: Joan N. Lawrence
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Thursday, July 20, 1950
Death details: On July 20, 1950, the 3rd Battalion of the U.S. 34th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, was holding a defensive line in South Korea overlooking the Taejon Airport, northeast of the city. When enemy tanks broke through the line near the airport, U.S. troops were ordered to fall back through Taejon. The 3rd Battalion was ordered to lead the convoy out of Taejon, but ran into a series of collapsed structures and roadblocks that broke up the column. U.S. forces were unable to break through these roadblocks, and to avoid capture soldiers moved off-road and began filtering through the countryside in small groups. Private First Class John Russell Lawrence entered the U.S. Army from Texas and served in C Company, 1st Battalion 34th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He was captured near Manpo on July 20, during the withdrawal from Taejon, and was marched to the Apex prison camps in North Korea. He died of malnutrition on or about October 12 at the Apex camp near Kosan. He was buried near Kosan; however, his remains could not be identified among those returned to U.S. custody following the war. Today, Private First Class Lawrence 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, Fort Worth Star Telegram (1953)
