Naktong River September 1950

Andrews, Shirley Byron Jr.
Army Private 1st Class

Shirley Byron Jr. Andrews, age 18, from Suffolk County Massachusetts.

Parents: Mary Andrews

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, September 7, 1950
Death details: On September 6 and 7, 1950, elements of the 2nd Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, launched attacks on a prominence called Hill 209 along the Naktong River in South Korea. The hill was held by strong enemy forces and the attacks were carried out in torrential rain. The U.S. troops were unable to take the hill under these conditions, and after suffering several casualties, pulled back. Renewed efforts later brought the area under American control, but by that time, the heavy rains had been continuing for days. The Naktong River had risen considerably and floodwaters were sufficient to cover up any recent graves in the area, impeding efforts to recover the remains of fallen soldiers. Corporal Shirley Byron Andrews, who entered the U.S. Army from Massachusetts, served with Company F, 2nd Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division and took part in the attacks on Hill 209. He went missing in action on September 7, 1950, during an engagement with enemy forces near An-Sin, South Korea. His remains could not be recovered in subsequent searches of the area. He was never reported as a prisoner of war. Today, Corporal Andrews is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

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

Davis, Gordon Elijah
Army Private 1st Class

Gordon Elijah Davis, age 20, from Jefferson County New York.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, September 7, 1950
Death details: On September 6 and 7, 1950, elements of the 2nd Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, launched attacks on a prominence called Hill 209 along the Naktong River in South Korea. The hill was held by strong enemy forces and the attacks were carried out in torrential rain. The U.S. troops were unable to take the hill under these conditions, and after suffering several casualties, pulled back. Renewed efforts later brought the area under American control, but by that time, the heavy rains had been continuing for days. The Naktong River had risen considerably and floodwaters were sufficient to cover up any recent graves in the area, impeding efforts to recover the remains of fallen soldiers. Corporal Gordon Elijah Davis, who entered the U.S. Army from New York, served with F Company, 2nd Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, and took part in the attacks on Hill 209. He went missing in action on September 7, 1950, during an engagement with enemy forces near Am-Sin, South Korea, and his remains could not be recovered in subsequent searches of the area. He was never reported as a prisoner of war, and he is still unaccounted for. Today, Corporal Davis 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

Carter, Joseph Carroll
Army Private 1st class

Joseph Carroll Carter, age 21, from Mahoning County Ohio.

Parents: Bertha Hellard

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Wednesday, September 6, 1950
Death details: On September 6 and 7, 1950, elements of the 2nd Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, launched attacks on a prominence called Hill 209 along the Naktong River in South Korea. The hill was held by strong enemy forces and the attacks were carried out in torrential rain. The U.S. troops were unable to take the hill under these conditions, and after suffering several casualties, pulled back. Renewed efforts later brought the area under American control, but by that time, the heavy rains had been continuing for days. The Naktong River had risen considerably and floodwaters were sufficient to cover up any recent graves in the area, impeding efforts to recover the remains of fallen soldiers. Private First Class Joseph Carroll Carter entered the U.S. Army from Ohio and served with G Company, 2nd Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was killed in action on September 6, 1950, when his company position was overrun by enemy forces during the attacks on Hill 209. His remains could not be recovered in subsequent searches of the area, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Private First Class Carter 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, The Sentinel (1951)

Mitchell, Robert Elijah
Army Private 1st class

Robert Elijah Mitchell, age 19, from Shelby County Tennessee.

Parents: F. B. Mitchell

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Wednesday, September 6, 1950
Death details: On June 28, 2016, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Private First Class Robert Elijah Mitchell, missing from the Korean War. PFC Mitchell joined the U.S. Army from Arizona and was a member of Company F, 2nd Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. On September 6, 1950, he went missing in action against North Korean forces that had penetrated the Pusan Perimeter near near Am-sin, South Kores. PFC Mitchell’s remains were recovered on July 10, 1952, near Hwasong-dong, South Korea; however, they could not be identified at the time, and were buried as unknowns at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. Advances in forensic techniques and family requests eventually prompted the re-analysis and identification of PFC Mitchell’s remains. Private First Class Mitchell 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, The Commercial Appeal (1951)

Neiswinger, Thomas William
Army Private 1st class

Thomas William Neiswinger, age 21, from Clay County Indiana.

Parents: Edward Neiswinger

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Wednesday, September 6, 1950
Death details:

On Sept. 25, 2025, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency identified the remains of U.S. Army Cpl. Thomas William Neiswinger, missing from the Korean War.

Neiswinger entered the U.S. Army from Indiana and served with F Company, 2nd Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. On Sept. 6 and 7, 1950, elements of Neiswinger’s 2nd Battalion launched attacks on a prominence called Hill 209 along the Naktong River in South Korea. After failing to secure the hill due to strong enemy resistance and in torrential rain, the U.S. troops pulled back, but not without suffering casualties. Neiswinger was among those reported missing in action on Sept. 6, 1950. Renewed efforts later brought the area under American control, but by that time, the heavy rains had been continuing for days, and the floodwaters from the Naktong River were sufficient to cover up any recent graves in the area, impeding efforts to recover the remains of fallen soldiers. In Sept. 1951, during post-war search and recovery efforts, members from the 565th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company recovered three sets of remains from a group burial near the village of An-Dong, South Korea. One of the sets of remains could not be associated with any unresolved casualty from the Korean War and was declared unidentifiable, and in 1956 was interred as a Korean War Unknown in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii. In May 2021, as part of Phase 3 of the Korean War disinterment project, DPAA personnel accessioned this Unknown to the DPAA laboratory for analysis. There, based on the laboratory analysis and total circumstantial evidence, the remains were identified as those of Neiswinger.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, The Terre Haute Tribune (1950)

Phillips, Billy Andle
Army Private

Billy Andle Phillips, age 18, from Johnston County North Carolina.

Parents: Bernice L. S. Phillips

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Wednesday, September 6, 1950
Death details: On September 6 and 7, 1950, elements of the 2nd Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, launched attacks on a prominence called Hill 209 along the Naktong River in South Korea. The hill was held by strong enemy forces and the attacks were carried out in torrential rain. The U.S. troops were unable to take the hill under these conditions, and after suffering several casualties, pulled back. Renewed efforts later brought the area under American control, but by that time, the heavy rains had been continuing for days. The Naktong River had risen considerably and floodwaters were sufficient to cover up any recent graves in the area, impeding efforts to recover the remains of fallen soldiers. Private First Class Billy Andle Phillips, who entered the U.S. Army from North Carolina, served with F Company, 2nd Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division and took part in the attacks on Hill 209. He went missing in action on September 6, 1950, when his company’s position was overrun by enemy forces near Am-Sin, South Korea. His remains could not be recovered in subsequent searches of the area and he was never reported as a prisoner of war. Today, Private First Class Phillips 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, The Salisbury Post

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