South of Unsan

Matthew, Donald Ferdinand
Army Corporal

Donald Ferdinand Matthew, age 27, from King County Miami, Florida .

Service era: Korea
Military history: 35th Infantry Regiment

Date of death: Tuesday, November 28, 1950
Death details: On November 25, 1950, the U.S. Army 2nd and 25th Infantry Divisions were holding defensive positions south of the town of Unsan, North Korea, below the Yalu River. On November 26 and 27, Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) attacked the U.S. troops, pushing them through the towns of Ung-dong and Yongsan-dong, and on to Yongbyon, where they were given orders to establish new defensive lines. Sergeant Donald Ferdinand Matthew entered the U.S. Army from Washington and served with H Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on November 28, during this withdrawal to Yongbyon. No one saw him fall in battle and he was never reported to be a prisoner of war. He was not identified among remains returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire. Today, Sergeant Matthew 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, 35th Infantry Regiment Association, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Purkapile, Leonard Virgil
Army Private 1st class

Leonard Virgil Purkapile, age 26, from Boscobel, Wisconsin, Grant county.

Service era: Korea
Military history: 35th Infantry Regiment

Date of death: Tuesday, November 28, 1950
Death details: On February 16, 2018, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Corporal Leonard Virgil Purkapile, missing from the Korean War. Corporal Purkapile joined the U.S. Army from Wisconsin and was a member of E Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. On November 28, 1950, he went missing in action near Unsan, North Korea, as his unit made its withdrawal toward Yongbyon. He was killed during this action, although the circumstances surrounding his loss were unknown at the time, and his remains were not recovered. In 1993, the North Korean government returned a set of remains allegedly recovered from Okchang-ri, near CPL Purkapile’s loss location. DPAA analysts used advances in forensic techniques along with circumstantial evidence, and eventually identified CPL Purkapile from these remains. Corporal Purkapile 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.
Cemetery: Hillside, Lancaster

Source: National Archives, 35th Infantry Regiment Association

Nordin, David Thomas Jr.
Army Private 1st class

David Thomas Jr. Nordin, age 23, from Los Angeles County Los Angeles, California .

Parents: David T. Nordin

Service era: Korea
Military history: 35th Infantry Regiment

Date of death: Tuesday, November 28, 1950
Death details: On July 13, 2016, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Corporal David Thomas Nordin Jr., missing from the Korean War. CPL Nordin joined the U.S. Army from California and was a member of K Company, 3rd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. In late November, 1950, his unit was positioned near Unsan, North Korea, when they came under attack from Chinese Communist Forces (CCF). U.S. troops at Unsan were forced to fall back to Yongbyon, North Korea, and CPL Nordin was captured by the CCF at some point during the fighting withdrawal. He was taken to a prisoner of war camp in the Pukchin-Tarigol Valley of North Korea, where he died of pneumonia in January 1951. In April 2005, a joint U.S. and North Korean investigative team recovered remains from a site near the area where the Pukchin-Tarigol camps had been located. Advances in forensic techniques eventually allowed for CPL Nordin to be identified from among these remains. Corporal Nordin 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, 35th Infantry Regiment Association, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Fresno Bee (1953)

Zuver, Jack Clifford
Army Corporal

Jack Clifford Zuver, age 27, from Unknown, California, San Diego county.

Service era: Korea
Military history: 35th Infantry Regiment

Date of death: Tuesday, November 28, 1950
Death details: On November 25, 1950, the U.S. Army 2nd and 25th Infantry Divisions were holding defensive positions south of the town of Unsan, North Korea, below the Yalu River. On November 26 and 27, Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) attacked the U.S. troops, pushing them through the towns of Ung-dong and Yongsan-dong, and on to Yongbyon, where they were given orders to establish new defensive lines.

Sergeant Jack Clifford Zuver entered the U.S. Army from California and served with K Company, 3rd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. He was killed in action on November 28, during this withdrawal to Yongbyon. Specific details surrounding SGT Zuver’s loss are unknown. His remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire. Today, Sergeant Zuver 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: 35th Infantry Regiment Association, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

O’Brien, Edward James
Army Corporal

Edward James O’Brien, age 29, from Ramsey County Saint Paul, Minnesota .

Parents: Edward and Caroline O’Brien

Service era: Korea
Military history: 35th Infantry Regiment

Date of death: Tuesday, November 28, 1950
Death details: On June 5, 2008, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC, now DPAA) identified the remains of Sergeant Edward James O’Brien, missing from the Korean War. Sergeant O’Brien entered the U.S. Army from Nebraska and served in F Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. In late November 1950, he fought in the Battle of the Chongchon River and was last seen when enemy forces overran his company’s position south of Unsan, North Korea. He was killed in action on or before November 28, though the exact circumstances of his loss remain unknown. In 1998, a joint U.S. and North Korean investigative team excavated a site near where SGT O’Brien was last seen and recovered human remains there. U.S. analysts were eventually able to identify SGT O’Brien from among these remains. Sergeant O’Brien 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.
Cemetery: Fort Snelling National

Source: 35th Infantry Regiment Association, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Star Tribune (1951)

Bolden, George Earnshaw
Army Private 1st class

George Earnshaw Bolden, age 19, from Polk County Des Moines, Iowa .

Parents: Eddie Bolden

Service era: Korea
Military history: 35th Infantry Regiment

Date of death: Tuesday, November 28, 1950
Death details: On November 25, 1950, the U.S. Army 2nd and 25th Infantry Divisions were holding defensive positions south of the town of Unsan, North Korea, below the Yalu River. On November 26 and 27, Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) attacked the U.S. troops, pushing them through the towns of Ung-dong and Yongsan-dong, and on to Yongbyon, where they were given orders to establish new defensive lines. Private First Class George Bolden Earnshaw entered the U.S. Army from Iowa and served with E Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on November 28, during his unit’s withdrawal to Yongbyon. No one saw him fall in battle and he was not reported to be a prisoner of war. His remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire. Today, Private First Class Earnshaw 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, 35th Infantry Regiment Association, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Des Moines Register (1951)

Richardson, Marlin Leslie
Army 1st lieutenant

Marlin Leslie Richardson, age 31, from Mills County Glenwood, Iowa .

Parents: L. L. Richardson
Spouse: Patsy
Children: Marlina, 9; Leslie, 7

Service era: Korea
Military history: 35th Infantry Regiment

Date of death: Tuesday, November 28, 1950
Death details: On November 25, 1950, the U.S. Army 2nd and 25th Infantry Divisions were holding defensive positions south of the town of Unsan, North Korea, below the Yalu River. On November 26 and 27, Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) attacked the U.S. troops, pushing them through the towns of Ung-dong and Yongsan-dong, and on to Yongbyon, where they were given orders to establish new defensive lines. First Lieutenant Marlin Leslie Richardson entered the U.S. Army from Iowa and served with F Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on November 28, during this withdrawal to Yongbyon. No one saw him fall in battle and he was not reported to be a prisoner of war. His remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire. Today, First Lieutenant Richardson 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, 35th Infantry Regiment Association, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Daily Nonpareil (1954)

Buckalew, Glenford
Army Private

Glenford Buckalew, age 19, from Delaware County Margaretville, New York .

Service era: Korea
Schools: Margaretville Central
Military history: 35th Infantry Regiment

Date of death: Tuesday, November 28, 1950
Death details: On November 25, 1950, the U.S. Army 2nd and 25th Infantry Divisions were holding defensive positions south of the town of Unsan, North Korea, below the Yalu River. On November 26 and 27, Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) attacked the U.S. troops, pushing them through the towns of Ung-dong and Yongsan-dong, and on to Yongbyon, where they were given orders to establish new defensive lines. Private Glenford Buckalew entered the U.S. Army from New York and was a member of F Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. He was killed in the action near Sodochon, North Korea, on November 28, though details surrounding his loss are unknown. His remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Private Buckalew 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.
Cemetery: Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial

Source: National Archives, 35th Infantry Regiment Association, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Oneonta Star (1951)

Sanford, William Henry
Army Private 1st class

William Henry Sanford, age 18, from Baltimore City County Maryland.

Service era: Korea
Military history: 35th Infantry Regiment

Date of death: Tuesday, November 28, 1950
Death details: On November 25, 1950, the U.S. Army 2nd and 25th Infantry Divisions were holding defensive positions south of the town of Unsan, North Korea, below the Yalu River. On November 26 and 27, Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) attacked the U.S. troops, pushing them through the towns of Ung-dong and Yongsan-dong, and on to Yongbyon, where they were given orders to establish new defensive lines. Corporal William Henry Sanford entered the U.S. Army from Maryland and was a member of H Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. He went missing in action on or about November 28, during his unit’s movement to Yongbyon. No one reported seeing CPL Sanford fall in combat and he was not reported as a prisoner of war. His remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Corporal Sanford 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, 35th Infantry Regiment Association, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Capallia, Frederick
Army Corporal

Frederick Capallia from Volusia County New Smyrna Beach, Florida .

Parents: E. L Capallia

Service era: Korea
Military history: 35th Infantry Regiment, Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart

Date of death: Tuesday, November 28, 1950
Death details: On November 25, 1950, the U.S. Army 2nd and 25th Infantry Divisions were holding defensive positions south of the town of Unsan, North Korea, below the Yalu River. On November 26 and 27, Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) attacked the U.S. troops, pushing them through the towns of Ung-dong and Yongsan-dong, and on to Yongbyon, where they were given orders to establish new defensive lines. Sergeant Frederick Capallia entered the U.S. Army from Florida and served with F Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on November 28, during this withdrawal to Yongbyon. No one saw SGT Capallia fall in battle and he was not reported to be a prisoner of war. His remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire. Today, Sergeant Capallia 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, 35th Infantry Regiment Association, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Daytona Beach News Jounral (1951)

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