Promote & Preserve stories of U.S. fallen soldiers/sailors
Jeffrey D. Reel, age 21, from Indiana, Knox county.
Parents: David and Diana Reel
Service era: Gulf War
Schools: South Knox High (1987)
Date of death: Wednesday, February 20, 1991
Death details: Killed in a traffic accident during maneuvers in Saudi Arabia
Cemetery: Wildwood in Vincennes
Source: White House Commission on Remembrance, The Gulf War Chronicles, Lafayette Journal and Courier (1991)
Joseph Francis Holle, age 21, from Indiana, Marion 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 Joseph Francis Holle entered the U.S. Army from Indiana and was a member of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was killed on July 8, 1950, during the fighting at Pork Chop Hill, though exact circumstances surrounding his loss are unknown. His remains were not recovered, and he is still unaccounted for. Today, Corporal Holle is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Richard George Inman, age 43, from Indiana, Knox county.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Tuesday, July 7, 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. Second Lieutenant Richard George Inman, who joined the U.S. Army from Indiana, served with Company B, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. On the evening of July 6, he led an ambush patrol against Chinese troops holding the heights of Pork Chop Hill, and was killed in an engagement with the enemy. Conditions on the battlefield prevented the immediate recovery of his body, and the area where he fell soon became part of the Demilitarized Zone. His remains have not been identified among those returned to U.S. custody. Today, Second Lieutenant Inman is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
William Robert Jester from Indiana, Switzerland county.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Saturday, June 16, 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. Corporal William Robert Jester, who joined the U.S. Army from Indiana, served with L 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 south from Pyongtaek to Chochiwon. He was forced to march north to the Apex prison camps in North Korea, where he died of exhaustion and malnutrition on June 16, 1951 at the camp near An-dong. He was buried at the edge of the compound; however, his remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire. Today, Corporal Jester is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
William Francis Jester from Indiana, Marion county.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Thursday, May 31, 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. First Lieutenant William Francis Jester, who joined the U.S. Army from Indiana, served with Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He was captured by enemy forces on July 12 a few miles north of Chochiwon and was forced to march north to the Apex prison camps in North Korea. He died of exhaustion and malnutrition on May 31, 1951, at the prison camp near An-dong, and was buried near the edge of the compound. His remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire. Today, First Lieutenant Jester is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
James Allen Coleman, age 22, from Indiana, Vermillion county.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Wednesday, April 25, 1951
Death details: On May 23, 2022, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Sergeant First Class James Allen Coleman, missing from the Korean War. Sergeant First Class Coleman entered the U.S. Army from Indiana and was a member of I Company, 3rd Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. On April 25, 1951, he was reported missing in action near Chipori, South Korea, after an enemy mortar shell struck his location. The tactical situation at the time prevented search efforts for SFC Coleman or his remains at the time of his loss. In April of 1953, an American Graves Registration Service Group recovered remains from the village of Tumun-gol, South Korea, in an area corresponding with the 19th Infantry Regiment’s fighting in April 1951. This set of remains was determined to be unidentifiable, and was buried as an unknown at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii. In 2019, as part of the larger effort to disinter and identify all Korean War unknowns, this set of remains were disinterred and accessioned into the DPAA laboratory. Circumstantial evidence and laboratory analysis established the remans as those of SFC Coleman. Sergeant First Class Coleman is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Donald Fredrick Magnus from Indiana, Vanderburgh county.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Thursday, January 4, 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. Corporal Donald Frederick Magnus joined the U.S. Army from Indiana and was a member of Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He was captured by North Korean forces during the fighting near Chochiwon on July 12. Corporal Magnus was marched to the “Apex Camps” in northern North Korea near the Yalu River, where he died of exhaustion and pneumonia on January 4, 1951. His remains have not been recovered or identified among remains returned to U.S. custody after the conflict’s ceasefire. Today, Corporal Magnus is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
James Thomas McIntyre from Indiana, Floyd county.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Thursday, December 28, 1950
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. Corporal James Thomas McIntyre, who joined the U.S. Army from Indiana, served with K Company, 3rd Battalion, 21st Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He was captured by enemy forces on July 11 as his unit fought delaying actions between Pyongtaek and Chochiwon. He was forced to march north to the Apex prison camps in North Korea, and died of malnutrition and pneumonia at the camp near Hanjang-ni on December 28, 1950. Although he was buried on a hillside overlooking the camp, his remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire. Today, Corporal McIntyre is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
George Arthur Frantz from Indiana, Marion county.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Sunday, December 3, 1950
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 George Arthur Frantz, who joined the U.S. Army from Indiana, served with L 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 on December 3 of exhaustion and pneumonia at the camp near Hanjang-ni. He was buried on a hillside behind the camp; however, his remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the cease fire. Today, Private First Class Frantz is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Eldon Raymond Bradley from Indiana, Saint Joseph county.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Thursday, November 2, 1950
Death details: During the last week of October 1950, Republic of Korea (ROK) Army forces under the control of the U.S. Eighth Army were advancing deep in North Korean territory, approaching the Yalu River on the Chinese-Korean border. Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) struck back in a surprise attack, engaging the ROK 1st and 6th Divisions near Unsan, some sixty miles north of Pyongyang. The U.S. 1st Cavalry Division, with the 8th Cavalry Regiment in the lead, was rushed forward to reinforce the ROK units in the Unsan area. On November 1, the regiment’s 1st Battalion took up positions north of Unsan, while the 2nd Battalion moved to guard the Nammyon River valley west of town, and the 3rd Battalion was placed in reserve at the valley’s southern end. Corporal Eldon R. Bradley, who joined the U.S. Army from Indiana, was a member of Company E of the 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. On November 1, 1950, the 8th Cavalry Regiment was conducting defensive operations against encroaching CCF in the Unsan area, and was ordered to withdraw after receiving intense rocket and mortar attacks and infantry assaults. Company E fought its way through Unsan, a village that was by then infiltrated with Chinese forces that had attacked U.S. forces with small arms fire from rooftops and behind roadblocks. At some point during this combat, CPL Bradley was taken as a prisoner of war and was marched northwest to Sambakkol, then to Camp 5 at Pyoktong on the Yalu River. Repatriated prisoners reported in 1953 that CPL Bradley died between March and May 1951, at Pyoktong, after suffering from malnutrition, and was buried at the prison. Since the close of the war, his remains have not been associated with remains that North Korean officials returned to U.S. custody. Today, Corporal Bradley is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency