Kermit Karl Koch from Texas, Gillespie county.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Thursday, May 3, 1951
Death details: On July 5, 1950, Task Force Smith, the first U.S. ground element to engage North Korean People’s Army (NKPA) troops, was defending a position north of Osan, South Korea. The Task Force’s goal was to delay enemy forces by blocking their movement down the road south from Suwon to Taejon, which was a major avenue of advance for the NKPA. That morning, the Task Force was engaged by a column of enemy tanks. The anti-tank weapons that the infantrymen employed were ineffective, and a large number of tanks broke through their position. Task Force Smith was forced to withdraw to the south, suffering heavy casualties in the process. Private First Class Kermit Karl Koch, who joined the U.S. Army from Texas, served with the Medical Company, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. Part of Task Force Smith, he was captured on July 5 and forced to march to the Apex prison camps in North Korea. He died of malnutrition at the camp at An-dong on May 3, 1951, and was buried by his companions nearby. His remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire. Today, Private First Class Koch is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
