Tag: State of Illinois

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Brown, Dale Eugene
Army Private 1st Class

Dale Eugene Brown from Clay County Illinois.

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 Dale Eugene Brown, who joined the U.S. Army from Illinois, served with the Headquarters Battery, 38th Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured by enemy forces on or about November 30, 1950, as his unit was making a fighting withdrawal southward to Sunchon, North Korea, and was cut off and overrun by the enemy. CPL Brown was marched to Camp 5 at Pyoktong, North Korea, where he died on an unspecified date in June 1950. His companions buried him at the camp; however, his remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the war. Today, Corporal Brown 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

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Dewey, Lee Andrew
Army Private

Lee Andrew Dewey, age 22, from Cook County Chicago, Illinois .

Parents: Ada Linton
Spouse: Virginia

Service era: Korea
Schools: DuSable High graduate

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 Lee Andrew Dewey, who joined the U.S. Army from Illinois, served with Battery A, 503rd Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured by enemy forces on December 1, 1950, as his unit made a fighting withdrawal from Kunu-ri south to Sunchon. He was marched to Camp 5, Pyoktong, North Korea, where he died of yellow jaundice on an unspecified date in June 1951. He was buried by his companions on a nearby hill, however, his remains have not been identified among those returned to U.S. custody. Private First Class Dewey 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, Chicago Tribune (1953)

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Drainer, John Donald
Army Private 1st Class

John Donald Drainer from Jersey County Godfrey, Illinois .

Parents: Zita Drainer

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 John Donald Drainer, who joined the U.S. Army from Illinois, served with Battery C, 38th Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured by enemy forces on November 30, 1950, during his unit’s withdrawal from Kunu-ri to Sunchon. He was marched to a prisoner of war holding camp in the Pukchin-Tarigol Valley, arriving in January 1951, and died there of pneumonia and malnutrition that same month. His remains have not been located, and he was not identified among the remains returned to U.S. custody after the war. Today, Corporal Drainer 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, Dacatur Daily Review (1953)

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Fox, Frank C.
Army Corporal

Frank C. Fox from Saint Clair County Belleville, Illinois .

Spouse: Dora
Children: Son, 2

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. Sergeant Frank C. Fox, who joined the U.S. Army from Illinois, was a member of Battery B, 503rd Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured by the CCF during the fighting withdrawal from Kunu-ri on December 1. Sergeant Fox was marched to Camp 5, a prison camp on the bank of the Yalu River in Pyoktong, North Korea, where he died in early 1951. His remains have not been recovered, and he was not identified among remains returned to U.S. custody after the war. Today, Sergeant Fox 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, Belleville Newws Democrat (1953)