Missouri Missouri

Evans, Owen Mason
Army Private

Owen Mason Evans, age 27, from Missouri, Gentry county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, July 9, 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 Owen Mason Evans entered the U.S. Army from Missouri and was a member of Company K of the 3rd Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He went missing on July 9 during the action at Pork Chop Hill, though exact circumstances surrounding his loss are unknown. He was never reported to be a prisoner of war, and his remains were not identified among those returned to the U.S. following the ceasefire. Today, Private First Class Evans is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Howell, Roy L.
Army Corporal

Roy L. Howell, age 21, from Missouri, Wayne county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Monday, July 6, 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. Sergeant Roy L. Howell, who joined the U.S. Army from Missouri, served with Company A, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He went missing in action on July 7 when Chinese troops overran Company A’s outposts and part of their bunker line on Pork Chop Hill. He was not seen to fall in battle and conditions on the battlefield prevented a search for him. He was not reported to be a prisoner of war. After the ceasefire, the area where he went missing became part of the Demilitarized Zone. Today, Sergeant Howell is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Hale, Shirley Dee
Army Private 1st class

Shirley Dee Hale, age 24, from Missouri, Greene county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Friday, October 24, 1952
Death details: In late October 1952, elements of the U.S. 32nd Infantry Regiment attacked Chinese forces on Hill 598 (often referred to as the Triangle Hill Complex) near Kumhwa, North Korea. Triangle Hill was composed of three high peaks, two of which were nicknamed “Pike’s Peak” and “Jane Russell.” If U.S. troops could push the Chinese off Triangle Hill, the Chinese would have to fall back to the next high defensible position. The initial U.S. assault was effective; however, the Chinese quickly counterattacked, sending wave after wave of troops against the 32nd’s positions on Pike’s Peak and Jane Russell. Chinese forces eventually re-established themselves on Pike’s Peak and U.S. troops were unable to dislodge them. Private First Class Shirley Dee Hale, who joined the U.S. Army from Missouri, served with G Company, 2nd Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was killed in action on October 24 as his unit battled Chinese Communist Forces for control of Hill 598. Conditions on the battlefield precluded the immediate recovery of his body, and U.S. forces did not regain control of the area where he fell. After the ceasefire, his remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody. Today, Private First Class Hale is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Waits, Charles Edwin
Army Corporal

Charles Edwin Waits, age 23, from Missouri, Barton county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Friday, June 13, 1952
Death details: On June 13, 1952, a platoon of twenty-two tanks from the 140th Tank Battalion, 40th Infantry Division, engaged the enemy near Kumsong, North Korea. Enemy fire destroyed several of the tanks. Some soldiers were killed inside the burning tanks, while others managed to escape. Many of those who were able to get out of their vehicles were picked up by withdrawing tanks, but others were killed by enemy fire before they could be rescued. Sergeant Charles Edwin Waits, who joined the U.S. Army from Missouri, served with Company C, 140th Medium Tank Battalion, 40th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on June 13, 1952, as his unit fought Chinese troop near Kumsong, North Korea. Sergeant Waits was last seen firing at enemy forces from his disabled tank. He was not seen to fall in battle, and he was never reported to be a prisoner of war. His remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire. Today, Sergeant Waits is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Berrier, Jackie George
Army Private

Jackie George Berrier from Missouri, Carroll county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Friday, January 5, 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 Jackie George Berrier, who joined the U.S. Army from Missouri, served with L Company, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He was captured by enemy forces during this action and was forced to march to a prison camp at Hanju-ni on the Yalu River. He died at the camp of exhaustion and pneumonia on January 5, 1951, and was buried near Hanju-ni; however his remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the war. Today, Private First Class Berrier is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Dorser, Jimmie Leonard
Army Private 1st class

Jimmie Leonard Dorser, age 17, from Missouri, Greene county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Sunday, December 3, 1950
Death details: On December 13, 2006, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC, now DPAA) identified the remains of Corporal Jimmie Leonard Dorser, missing from the Korean War. Corporal Dorser joined the U.S. Army from Missouri and was a member of I Company, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. In late November 1950, his unit was positioned east of the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea. On November 27, Chinese Communist Forces launched a large-scale surprise attack against U.S. forces in the vicinity of the Chosin Reservoir, forcing a southward withdrawal. CPL Dorser was lost during the fighting withdrawal from Chosin. His remains could not be recovered at the time of his loss, and he was not identified among remains returned to U.S. custody immediately after the ceasefire. In 2002, a joint U.S. and North Korean investigative team excavated a mass grave on the eastern side of the Chosin Reservoir. Analysts were eventually able to identify CPL Dorser from among these remains. Corporal Dorser is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Coker, Richard Darrel
Army Private 1st class

Richard Darrel Coker, age 18, from Missouri, Barry county.

Parents: Ethel Angeline Coker

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 Richard Darrel Coker, who joined the U.S. Army from Missouri, was a member of Company C of the 8th Engineer Combat Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division. On November 1, 1950, the 8th Engineer Battalion was assigned to the 8th Cavalry Regiment, positioned near Unsan. The 8th Cavalry Regiment was cut off from its allies during a CCF surprise attack on November 1. Despite fierce resistance, some of the units were overrun by nightfall, forcing a withdrawal. The retreating men passed through the town of Unsan, which was by then thoroughly infiltrated with Chinese, who rained down small arms fire on them from rooftops and from behind roadblocks. Corporal Coker was lost at some point during the action on November 1. A surviving witness from Company C reported seeing CPL Coker sustain a gunshot wound, but could not confirm that he died. The corporal does not appear in Chinese prisoner of war records, and his remains were not located in post-war searches of the area. Additionally, he could not be associated with any of the remains that the North Koreans returned to U.S. custody as a condition of ceasefire. Today, Corporal Coker is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Stillwater New Press (1954)

Keopke, Elva Lewis
Army Sergeant 1st class

Elva Lewis Keopke from Missouri, Dade county.

Spouse: Joan Keopke

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. Master Sergeant Elva Lewis Keopke joined the U.S. Army from Missouri and was a member of Company L, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. On November 2, 1950, Company L was near Unsan with the 3rd Battalion when it was hit by an enemy attack and forced to withdraw. Many soldiers became trapped in the southern part of the regiment’s perimeter and it was during this confusing retreat that MSG Keopke was captured. He was marched to a temporary camp at Sambakkol and arrived around November 25, 1950. He remained there for two months, and was then moved to an internment facility known as Camp 5, near Pyoktong, North Korea, arriving around January 21, 1951. MSG Keopke died of malnutrition sometime in April. Records do not indicate where he was buried. His remains have not been identified among those returned to U.S. custody. Today, Master Sergeant Keopke is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, UP (1954)

Lindsay, Francis Eugene
Army Corporal

Francis Eugene Lindsay, age 21, from Missouri, Saint Francois county.

Parents: Hilda A. Lindsay

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, November 2, 1950
Death details: On November 15, 2006, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC, now DPAA) identified the remains of Sergeant Francis Eugene Lindsay, missing from the Korean War. Sergeant Lindsay entered the U.S. Army from Missouri and served in Company B, 70th Tank Battalion, attached to the 1st Cavalry Division. On the night of November 1, 1950, elements of the 1st Cavalry Division including the attached 70th Tank Battalion were attacked and overwhelmed by Chinese Communist Forces near Unsan, North Korea. During the rapid withdrawal, hundreds of American soldiers went missing, among them SGT Lindsay. In 2000, a joint U.S. and North Korean team excavated a burial site near Unsan and recovered several sets of human remains. Forensic analysts were able to identify SGT Lindsay from among the recovered remains.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Saint Louis Naborhood Link News (1950)

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