New Kensington Pennsylvania

Bowser, Roland Lee
Army Private

Roland Lee Bowser from New Kensington, Pennsylvania, Westmoreland county.

Parents: Warren S. Bowser

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. Private First Class Roland Lee Bowser, who joined the U.S. Army from Pennsylvania, was a member of Company M, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. On November 2, 1950, his company was providing security for the 3rd Battalion Command Post near Unsan, when it was hit by a surprise enemy attack and overrun, and he was taken prisoner of war. After his capture, he was marched north to a prison camp at Pyoktong where he died of dysentery and untreated wounds on an unknown date, and was buried nearby. Attempts to locate his remains since the close of war were unsuccessful, and he remains unaccounted-for. Today, Private First Class Bowser is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Pittsburgh Sun Telegraph (1953)

Gregory, Robert Snead
Army Corporal

Robert Snead Gregory, age 31, from New Kensington, Pennsylvania, Westmoreland county.

Parents: Lillian Gregory

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 Robert Snead Gregory, who joined the U.S. Army from Pennsylvania, was a member of Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. By midnight on November 1, 1950, the 8th Cavalry Regiment was forced to withdraw from the Unsan area to avoid encirclement by the enemy. The 3rd Battalion was the last to withdraw, and was surrounded and cut off by the CCF. They formed a defensive perimeter, and withstood attacks for the next few days before survivors either broke out to avoid capture or surrendered. Sergeant Gregory was captured during this moving battle on November 2. He was marched to Camp 5, a prison camp near Pyoktong, North Korea, on the southern bank of the Yalu River. After the war, a returning prisoner reported that SGT Gregory died of malnutrition while interned at Camp 5; however, the exact date of his loss is unknown. His remains have not been recovered, and he could not be identified among remains returned to U.S. custody after the war. Today, Sergeant Gregory is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Pittsburgh Post Gazette

Slobodnik, Andrew L.
Marines Reserves Private

Andrew L. Slobodnik, age 32, from New Kensington, Pennsylvania, Westmoreland county.

Spouse: Married

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Sunday, November 21, 1943
Death details: From November 20 through 23, 1943, the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy conducted a large-scale amphibious assault on the Japanese-held atoll of Tarawa as part of Operation Galvanic, the Allied capture of the Gilbert Islands. Located 2,500 miles southwest of Hawaii, Tarawa was a crucial stepping stone in the planned U.S. offensive across the central Pacific toward Japan. The Japanese garrison on Tarawa’s main island of Betio was well-entrenched with hundreds of bunkers and gun positions behind formidable beach obstacles. The first wave of Marines approaching the shore encountered lower-than-expected tides, forcing them to leave their landing craft on the reef and wade the hundreds of yards to the beach under intense enemy fire. The heaviest number of U.S. casualties were suffered during this phase of the landing. Eventually, rising tides allowed U.S. warships to maneuver closer to shore and support the troops with effective naval gunfire. More Marines landed on the second day, launching attacks inland from the beaches and seizing the Japanese airfield on the island. However, the enemy launched vicious counterattacks and two more days of intense fighting were needed to secure Betio. The last enemy strongpoints were taken on the morning of November 23. The fighting on Betio cost the Marines nearly 3,000 casualties but enabled U.S. forces to press further across the Pacific and yielded valuable tactical lessons that reduced U.S. losses in future amphibious landings. Private Andrew L. Slobodnik joined the U.S. Marine Corps from Pennsylvania and was a member of Company K, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, which took part in the Battle of Tarawa. On November 21, 1943, he was killed in action on Betio. Private Slobodnik was buried in Cemetery #11 on Tarawa, but his remains were not recovered during post-war searches of the atoll. Today, Private Slobodnik is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Gibson, Charles H.
Sergeant

Charles H. Gibson, age 22, from Westmoreland County New Kensington, Pennsylvania .

Service era: World War I

Date of death: Thursday, October 10, 1918
Death details: Died of wounds

Source: Soldiers of the Great War

Farley, Thomas P.
Corporal

Thomas P. Farley from New Kensington, Pennsylvania, Westmoreland county.

Service era: World War I

Date of death: Friday, September 27, 1918
Death details: Killed in action
Cemetery: Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania

Source: Soldiers of the Great War, findagrave.com, findagrave.com

Back To Top