Oahu Hawaii

Masaru Kumashiro, age 23, from Oahu, Hawaii.

Service era: Korea
Military history: 35th Infantry Regiment

Date of death: Saturday, September 8, 1951
Death details: 

On September 7, 1951, members of the 3rd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, were positioned on Hill 682 and Hill 717, located south of Pyonggang, North Korea, in the “No Man’s Land” between the front lines of U.S. forces and the opposing Communist Chinese and North Koreans. After coming under heavy fire from Chinese and North Korean artillery, the 3rd Battalion was forced to fall back to Hill 717 to their west. Enemy action then pushed the 3rd Battalion to Hill 432, where the supporting batteries of the 64th Field Artillery were stationed. They were attacked again that night, but repulsed the enemy. On the morning of September 8, the 3rd Battalion launched a patrol to Hill 717 to search for the dead and missing, but enemy presence there stymied search efforts. During the patrol’s return to Hill 432, they encountered a small enemy force, and a firefight ensued until the enemy was dispersed. That night, Hill 432 came under yet another attack. Although the defensive perimeter was penetrated in several places, the enemy was ultimately repelled, and the perimeter re-established. After this fighting, the 3rd Battalion was relieved by the 2nd Battalion.

Corporal Masaru Kumashiro, who joined the U.S. Army from Hawaii, was a member of Company L, 3rd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on September 8, 1951, during combat at Hill 432. No one reported seeing CPL Kumashiro fall in battle, and his name did not appear on any prisoner of war reports. He has not been associated with any remains returned to U.S. custody after the war, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Corporal Kumashiro is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, 35th Infantry Regiment Association, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Richard G. Velles, age 28, from Oahu, Hawaii.

Service era: Korea
Military history: 35th Infantry Regiment

Date of death: Monday, November 27, 1950
Death details: 

During the last week of November 1950, the U.S. 25th Infantry Division was conducting offensive operations along the Ch’ongch’on and Kuryong Rivers in North Korea, driving north toward the Yalu River and the border with China. On November 25, the division’s 35th Infantry Regiment was deployed south of Unsan blocking the Unsan-Pakch’on road, when it came under attack by Chinese Communist Forces (CCF). The 35th Infantry put up a strong defense and by the next morning, still held their positions. To the east of the 35th Infantry, the CCF delivered severe blows to the remainder of the 25th Infantry Division, which forced the withdrawal of its three regiments to the Ipsok-Yongsan-dong line. By November 27, the 35th Infantry had established hasty defensive positions approximately ten miles north of the Ch’ongch’on River to protect the division’s left flank. During this action, many U.S. soldiers were lost or taken as prisoners of war (POW).

Private First Class Richard Garcia Velles entered the U.S. Army from Hawaii and served in Company F, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. Private First Class Velles went missing in action during the fighting near the Kuryong River on November 27. No one saw him fall, and he was never reported alive in enemy hands. Attempts to locate or identify his remains following the war have been unsuccessful. Today, Private First Class Velles is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, 35th Infantry Regiment Association, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency