Naktong River 31 August 1950

Simmons, Albert Eugene
Army Sergeant

Albert Eugene Simmons, age 21, from McKean County Pennsylvania.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Tuesday, September 26, 1950
Death details: The 23rd Infantry Regiment landed at Pusan, South Korea, on August 5, 1950, and within one hour its 1st Battalion was dispatched to the front lines to reinforce the American and Republic of Korea (ROK) elements defending Pusan Harbor. The 1st Battalion established positions on high ground above the Naktong River, which was so shallow at the time that weary American survivors from earlier engagements began fording the river and walking behind American lines. Soon, however, the North Korean People’s Army (NKPA) began assembling ground forces near the river in order to ford it themselves and launch an offensive that would push American forces back to the sea. At dusk on August 31, the NKPA began this offensive along a fifteen-mile front, with the 1st Battalion taking the brunt of the NKPA’s efforts. By the early morning of September 1, Companies A, B, and C of the 1st Battalion were completely overrun, with many men from each of the units killed in action or taken prisoner amid the heavy fighting. Sergeant Albert Eugene Simmons entered the U.S. Army from Pennsylvania and served in B Company of the 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was wounded severely in the foot during the North Korean People’s Army (NKPA) offensive but survived and was captured on August 31, 1950. Surviving prisoners who were interned with SGT Simmons stated he was part of a group of prisoners who were marched to the village of Namwon, where they rested in a barn while the enemy prepared to transfer them further north. On September 26, while still at Namwon, SGT Simmons left the barn to air out the wound in his foot, and survivors reported that within a few minutes of leaving the barn he was executed by NKPA guards. Two days later the prisoners were liberated by U.S. forces; however, they were unable to locate his remains at the time, and he was not identified among any remains returned to the U.S. following the armistice. Today, Sergeant Simmons 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

Martin, Edwin Curtis
Army Private 1st class

Edwin Curtis Martin from Warren County Foster, Ohio .

Parents: Mrs. Bernice Foster

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, August 31, 1950
Death details: On April 29, 2025, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency identified the remains of U.S. Army Cpl. Edwin C. Martin, missing from the Korean War. Martin entered the U.S. Army from Ohio and served in A Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. In late August 1950, U.S. forces were stationed along the Pusan Perimeter, a defensive formation around the town of Pusan with the outer edge along the east bank of the Naktong River. On the night of Aug. 31, a large unit from the North Korean People’s Army crossed the Naktong and attacked the 1st Battalion’s position near Yongsan. Heavy fighting broke out, forcing American units to retreat to a nearby ridge. Martin’s company was overrun, and he was lost during this action, though the exact circumstances of his loss are unknown. He was never reported as a prisoner of war, and subsequent searches failed to recover his remains. On Oct. 25, 1950, a set of remains was recovered near the village of Sangde Po, South Korea, and interred in the United Nations Military Cemetery in Miryang. They could not be identified with the technology available at the time and were eventually transported to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. In June 2021, as part of Phase Three of the Korean War Disinterment Plan, DPAA disinterred this set of remains and sent it to the DPAA laboratory for analysis. Using modern forensic techniques, Martin was positively identified. He 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, D.C., which was updated in 2022 to include the names of the fallen.

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

Ramos, Israel
Army Sergeant

Israel Ramos from Kings County Brooklyn, New York .

Parents: Helen Soriano

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, August 31, 1950
Death details: On May 2, 2024, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Sergeant First Class Israel Ramos, missing from the Korean War. Sergeant First Class Ramos entered the U.S. Army in New York and served in D Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. Throughout August 1950, and into September, the division fought a series of battles against North Korean Forces for strategic positions on the Naktong River near Yongsan, South Korea. On August 31, North Korean Forces crossed the river and overran several American positions, including those held by Sfc Ramos’s battalion. He was killed during this fighting, but the exact details of his loss are unknown. In December 1950, U.S. personnel recovered remains from the area where Sfc Ramos was lost. They could not be identified at the time and were eventually interred as an unknown at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. In June 2021, DPAA personnel exhumed these remains for further study. The laboratory analysis and the totality of the circumstantial evidence available allowed scientists to identify the remains as those of Sfc Ramos. Sergeant First Class Ramos 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, Brooklyn Eagle (1954)

Smith, Edward Joseph
Army Private 1st class

Edward Joseph Smith from Northampton County Pennsylvania.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, August 31, 1950
Death details: On May 15, 2024, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Corporal Edward Joseph Smith, missing from the Korean War. Corporal Smith entered the U.S. Army in Pennsylvania and served in B Company, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. Throughout August 1950, and into September, the division fought a series of battles against North Korean Forces for strategic positions on the Naktong River near Yongsan, South Korea. On August 31, North Korean Forces crossed the river and overran several American positions, including those held by Cpl Smith’s battalion. He was killed during this fighting, but the exact details of his loss are unknown. In December 1950, U.S. personnel recovered remains from the area where Cpl Smith was lost. They could not be identified at the time and were eventually interred as an unknown at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. In June 2021, DPAA personnel exhumed these remains for further study. The laboratory analysis and the totality of the circumstantial evidence available allowed scientists to identify the remains as those of Cpl Smith. Corporal Smith 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

Cain, Tommy Joe
Army Private 1st class

Tommy Joe Cain from Jefferson County Terral, Oklahoma .

Parents: Nattie E. Cain

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, August 31, 1950
Death details: In late August of 1950, U.S. forces in Korea were stationed along the Pusan Perimeter, a defensive formation around the town of Pusan with the outer edge along the eastern shore of the Naktong River. On August 31, members of the 1st Battalion of the 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, were stationed on the eastern shore of the Naktong, west of the small town of Yongsan, South Korea. On the night of August 31, a large unit from the North Korean People’s Army (NKPA) advanced over the Naktong and attacked the 1st Battalion’s position under cover of fog. Heavy fighting broke out, and many of the American units there were forced to fall back. Corporal Tommy Joe Cain, who joined the U.S. Army from Oklahoma, was a member of A Company of the 1st battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. His company was among the U.S. forces that came under attack on August 31 and were forced to withdrawal. Corporal Cain was killed at some point during the retreat, though the exact circumstances of his loss are unknown. Searches of the area following the end of hostilities were unable to locate his remains. Today, Corporal Cain 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

Marks, Harvey Lee
Army Private 1st class

Harvey Lee Marks, age 19, from Allegany County Cumberland, Maryland .

Parents: Troy T. Marks

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, August 31, 1950
Death details: In late August of 1950, U.S. forces in Korea were stationed along the Pusan Perimeter, a defensive formation around the town of Pusan with the outer edge along the eastern shore of the Naktong River. On August 31, members of the 1st Battalion of the 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, were stationed on the eastern shore of the Naktong, west of the small town of Yongsan, South Korea. On the night of August 31, a large unit from the North Korean People’s Army (NKPA) advanced over the Naktong and attacked the 1st Battalion’s position under cover of fog. Heavy fighting broke out, and many of the American units there were forced to fall back. Corporal Harvey Lee Marks, who joined the U.S. Army from Maryland, was a member of A Company of the 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. His company was overrun during the NKPA’s attack and was forced into a retreat, ultimately taking a defensive position on a nearby ridge. Corporal Marks was killed at some point during the fighting on the night of August 31. The exact circumstances of his loss are unknown, and searches of the area following the end of hostilities were unable to locate his remains. Today, Corporal Marks 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, Cumberland News (1950)

Paschbeck, Rudolph W. Jr.
Army Private 1st class

Rudolph W. Jr. Paschbeck, age 19, from Spokane County Washington.

Parents: Rudolph W. Paschbeck

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, August 31, 1950
Death details: The 23rd Infantry Regiment landed at Pusan, South Korea, on August 5, 1950, and within one hour its 1st Battalion was dispatched to the front lines to reinforce the American and Republic of Korea (ROK) elements defending Pusan Harbor. The 1st Battalion established positions on high ground above the Naktong River, which was so shallow at the time that weary American survivors from earlier engagements began fording the river and walking behind American lines. Soon, however, the North Korean People’s Army (NKPA) began assembling ground forces near the river in order to ford it themselves and launch an offensive that would push American forces back to the sea. At dusk on August 31, the NKPA began this offensive along a fifteen-mile front, with the 1st Battalion taking the brunt of the NKPA’s efforts. By the early morning of September 1, Companies A, B, and C of the 1st Battalion were completely overrun, with many men from each of the units killed in action or taken prisoner amid the heavy fighting. Corporal Rudolph William Paschbeck joined the U.S. Army from Washington and was a member of B Company, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He went missing in action during the NKPA offensive on August 31, 1950. He was never reported to be a prisoner of war, and he remains unaccounted-for following the incident. Today, Corporal Paschbeck 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, San Bernardino County Sun (1950)

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