Pickens county Georgia

Curtis Elwood Bunch, age 22, from Georgia, Pickens county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Saturday, October 25, 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 Curtis Elwood Bunch, who joined the U.S. Army from Georgia, served with M Company, 3rd Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was killed in action on October 25 as his unit fought Chinese troops for control of Jane Russell Hill. Conditions on the battlefield prevented 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, and the area is now part of the Demilitarized Zone. Today, Private First Class Bunch is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency