Schuylkill County Pennsylvania

Tatar, Michael Robert
Army Sergeant 1st class

Michael Robert Tatar, age 21, from Schuylkill County Frackville, Pennsylvania .

Parents: Louise Tatar

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Unknown
Death details: By mid-November 1950, U.S. and Allied forces had advanced to within approximately sixty miles of the Yalu River, the border between North Korea and China. On November 25, approximately 300,000 Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) “volunteers” suddenly and fiercely counterattacked after crossing the Yalu. The 2nd Infantry Division, located the farthest north of units at the Chongchon River, could not halt the CCF advance and was ordered to withdraw to defensive positions at Sunchon in the South Pyongan province of North Korea. As the division pulled back from Kunu-ri toward Sunchon, it conducted an intense rearguard action while fighting to break through well-defended roadblocks set up by CCF infiltrators. The withdrawal was not complete until December 1, and the 2nd Infantry Division suffered extremely heavy casualties in the process. Private First Class Michael Robert Tatar, who joined the U.S. Army from Pennsylvania, served with Headquarters, Headquarters and Service Company of the 2nd Engineer Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured by enemy forces on November 30, 1950, as his unit was withdrawing from Kunu-ri to Sunchon. He was marched north with other prisoners of war to Camp 5, Pyoktong, North Korea. Private First Class Tatar died from pneumonia at an unspecified date a few weeks after arriving at Camp 5 and he was buried at the camp. His remains have not been recovered. Private First Class Tatar is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Record American (1953)

Dougherty, Bernard Patrick
Army Private 1st class

Bernard Patrick Dougherty from Schuylkill County Neshaminy, Pennsylvania .

Parents: John J. Dougherty

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Unknown
Death details: By mid-November 1950, U.S. and Allied forces had advanced to within approximately sixty miles of the Yalu River, the border between North Korea and China. On November 25, approximately 300,000 Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) “volunteers” suddenly and fiercely counterattacked after crossing the Yalu. The 2nd Infantry Division, located the farthest north of units at the Chongchon River, could not halt the CCF advance and was ordered to withdraw to defensive positions at Sunchon in the South Pyongan province of North Korea. As the division pulled back from Kunu-ri toward Sunchon, it conducted an intense rearguard action while fighting to break through well-defended roadblocks set up by CCF infiltrators. The withdrawal was not complete until December 1, and the 2nd Infantry Division suffered extremely heavy casualties in the process. Corporal Bernard Patrick Dougherty joined the U.S. Army from Pennsylvania and served with the Headquarters Battery, 82nd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured on December 1, 1950, as his unit provided direct fire support to 2nd Infantry Division troops withdrawing from Kunu-ri south to Sunchon, North Korea. He was marched to Camp 5 at Pyoktong on the Yalu River and died shortly after arriving March 7, 1951. Although he was buried near the camp, his remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the war. Corporal Dougherty 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, Philadelphia Inquirer (1953)

Helman, Glenwood Charles
Army Private

Glenwood Charles Helman, age 17, from Schuylkill County Seltzer City, Pennsylvania .

Parents: Charles Helman

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Unknown
Death details: By mid-November 1950, U.S. and Allied forces had advanced to within approximately sixty miles of the Yalu River, the border between North Korea and China. On November 25, approximately 300,000 Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) “volunteers” suddenly and fiercely counterattacked after crossing the Yalu. The 2nd Infantry Division, located the farthest north of units at the Chongchon River, could not halt the CCF advance and was ordered to withdraw to defensive positions at Sunchon in the South Pyongan province of North Korea. As the division pulled back from Kunu-ri toward Sunchon, it conducted an intense rearguard action while fighting to break through well-defended roadblocks set up by CCF infiltrators. The withdrawal was not complete until December 1, and the 2nd Infantry Division suffered extremely heavy casualties in the process. Private First Class Glenwood Charles Helman, who joined the U.S. Army from Pennsylvania, was a member of A Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured by the enemy on November 30, 1950, during the fighting withdrawal from Kunu-ri. He was marched to Camp 5, a prison camp on the bank of the Yalu River in Pyoktong, North Korea, where he died of illness in January 1951. His remains have not been recovered, and he was not identified among remains returned to U.S. custody following the end of hostilities. Today, Private First Class Helman 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, Record American (1951)

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