LaCrosse County Wisconsin

Edward John Pratt, age 21, from LaCrosse, Wisconsin, LaCrosse 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. Sergeant First Class Edward John Pratt, who joined the U.S. Army from Wisconsin, was a member of Company B, 2nd Chemical Mortar Battalion. In late October of 1950, Company B was positioned near Unsan to support ROK forces in the area. After midnight on November 1, U.S. units in the area were ordered to withdraw to avoid encirclement by the enemy. CCF roadblocks and constant small arms fire led to heavy casualties among the withdrawing men. Sergeant First Class Pratt was among those who went missing in action during this battle. He was never reported as a prisoner of war, and he remains unaccounted for. Today, Sergeant First Class Pratt is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Sheboygan Press (1950)