Texas Texas

West, John William
Army Corporal

John William West, age 31, from Texas, Tarrant county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, November 2, 1950
Death details: During the last week of October 1950, Republic of Korea (ROK) Army forces under the control of the U.S. Eighth Army were advancing deep in North Korean territory, approaching the Yalu River on the Chinese-Korean border. Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) struck back in a surprise attack, engaging the ROK 1st and 6th Divisions near Unsan, some sixty miles north of Pyongyang. The U.S. 1st Cavalry Division, with the 8th Cavalry Regiment in the lead, was rushed forward to reinforce the ROK units in the Unsan area. On November 1, the regiment’s 1st Battalion took up positions north of Unsan, while the 2nd Battalion moved to guard the Nammyon River valley west of town, and the 3rd Battalion was placed in reserve at the valley’s southern end. Sergeant John William West joined the U.S. Army from Texas and served in the Medical Company of the 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. On November 2, 1950, he and other members of the Medical Company were supporting 8th Cavalry Regiment elements near Unsan when they received orders to withdraw. Sergeant West went missing during the withdrawal, though circumstances surrounding his loss are unknown. He was not reported as a prisoner of war, and he was not identified among remains returned to the U.S. following the war. Today, Sergeant West is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Fullbright, Gerald Wayne
Army Sergeant

Gerald Wayne Fullbright, age 38, from Texas, Robertson county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, November 2, 1950
Death details: During the last week of October 1950, Republic of Korea (ROK) Army forces under the control of the U.S. Eighth Army were advancing deep in North Korean territory, approaching the Yalu River on the Chinese-Korean border. Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) struck back in a surprise attack, engaging the ROK 1st and 6th Divisions near Unsan, some sixty miles north of Pyongyang. The U.S. 1st Cavalry Division, with the 8th Cavalry Regiment in the lead, was rushed forward to reinforce the ROK units in the Unsan area. On November 1, the regiment’s 1st Battalion took up positions north of Unsan, while the 2nd Battalion moved to guard the Nammyon River valley west of town, and the 3rd Battalion was placed in reserve at the valley’s southern end. Sergeant First Class Gerald W. Fullbright, who joined the U.S. Army from Texas, was a member of Company B of the 70th Tank Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division, and his platoon was attached to the 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment. On November 1, the CCF engaged in a sneak attack on U.S. forces stationed near Unsan. Despite fierce resistance, the American battalions were forced to withdraw. Strong Chinese presence in the area cut off the 3rd Battalion from its exit routes, so its members formed two pockets of resistance. They held out against the CCF for two days before their position was overrun. Most the trapped men were killed, wounded, or captured, with the remainder escaping in small groups. Sergeant First Class Fullbright was captured during a breakout on November 3. Following the end of the conflict, surviving prisoners of war reported that SFC Fullbright died of exposure, malnutrition, and pneumonia in Prison Camp 5 near the Yalu River in March of 1951. He has not been identified among the remains that North Korean officials returned to U.S. custody following the conflict’s ceasefire. Today, Sergeant Fullbright is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Sweet, Richard Leroy
Army Private 1st class

Richard Leroy Sweet from Texas, Walker county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Sunday, July 16, 1950
Death details: On the evening of July 15, 1950, the U.S. Army’s 19th Infantry Regiment held defensive positions along the south bank of the Kum River. As dusk approached, North Korean People’s Army (NKPA) tanks appeared on the opposite shore and began firing on the U.S. positions. Although U.S. troops repulsed the attacks that evening, the next morning the NKPA crossed the river and launched a major attack against the 19th Regiment. As the regiment began withdrawing south to Taejon, the North Koreans pushed deep into their defensive lines and set up a roadblock en route to Taejon. When retreating American convoys could not break through the roadblock, soldiers were forced to leave the road and attempt to make their way in small groups across the countryside. Of the 900 soldiers in the 19th Infantry when the Battle of Kum River started, only 434 made it to friendly lines. Corporal Richard Leroy Sweet entered the U.S. Army from Texas and served with Company C, 1st Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He was captured on July 16, during the Battle of Kum River, while his unit was attempting to withdraw around an enemy roadblock outside Taejon. As a prisoner of war (POW), he was marched to various holding camps before he began a much longer trek to the Apex POW camps along the Yalu River. After reaching the camp at Hanjang-ni, CPL Sweet died of exhaustion and pneumonia on or around December 19. He was buried by his companions near the village; however, his remains were not recovered or identified following the conflict. Today, Corporal Sweet is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Jimenez, Victor Perales
Army Private 1st class

Victor Perales Jimenez from Texas, Bexar county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Sunday, July 16, 1950
Death details: On the evening of July 15, 1950, the U.S. Army’s 19th Infantry Regiment held defensive positions along the south bank of the Kum River. As dusk approached, North Korean People’s Army (NKPA) tanks appeared on the opposite shore and began firing on the U.S. positions. Although U.S. troops repulsed the attacks that evening, the next morning the NKPA crossed the river and launched a major attack against the 19th Regiment. As the regiment began withdrawing south to Taejon, the North Koreans pushed deep into their defensive lines and set up a roadblock en route to Taejon. When retreating American convoys could not break through the roadblock, soldiers were forced to leave the road and attempt to make their way in small groups across the countryside. Of the 900 soldiers in the 19th Infantry when the Battle of Kum River started, only 434 made it to friendly lines. Corporal Victor Perales Jimenez entered the U.S. Army from Texas and served with Company C, 1st Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He was captured on July 16, during the Battle of Kum River, while his unit was attempting to withdraw through and around an enemy roadblock outside Taejon. After his capture, he was moved between various holding camps in North Korea. During the winter of 1950-51, he arrived mortally ill at a cluster of three villages now known as the “Apex Camps,” where he died on or about April 16, 1951. His companions buried him a short distance away. U.S. investigators have not yet been able to recover service member remains from this remote area, and he is still unaccounted for. Today, Corporal Jimenez is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Ball, Mathis O. Jr.
Army Private

Mathis O. Jr. Ball from Texas, Denton county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Wednesday, July 12, 1950
Death details: On August 14, 2018, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Private First Class Mathis O. Ball Jr., missing from the Korean War. Private First Class Ball joined the U.S. Army from Texas and was a member of M Company, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. On July 11, 1951, his unit was in a defensive position near Chochiwon, South Korea, when they came under attack from North Korean forces. M Company was forced to withdraw, and PFC Ball was reported missing in action once the unit regrouped the next day. He was not seen to fall during the fighting, and was never reported to be a prisoner of war. In October 1951, a set of remains were recovered from an isolated unmarked grave near Chochiwon, and were buried at the United Nation Military Cemetery at Taejon, South Korea. These remains were disinterred from the cemetery in 1951; however, they could not be identified at the time, and were reburied as unknowns at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. In 2017, advances in forensic techniques prompted the reexamination of these remains, and they were eventually identified as those of PFC Ball. Private First Class Ball is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Garza, Ricardo
Army Private

Ricardo Garza from Texas, Bexar county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Tuesday, July 11, 1950
Death details: On July 11, 1950, the U.S. Army’s 21st Infantry Regiment, which had arrived in Korea six days earlier, was placed in defensive positions near the town of Chochiwon, South Korea. The regiment was not at full strength and lacked artillery and anti-tank weapons. That day, they were attacked by North Korean forces and were forced to withdraw to avoid being surrounded, as well as to buy time until they could be reinforced and resupplied. Private First Class Ricardo Garza, who joined the U.S. Army from Texas, served with L Company, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on July 11, near Chochiwon. No one saw him fall in battle, and he was not reported to be a prisoner of war. After the area where he was lost returned to U.N. control, numerous extensive searches were conducted for his remains, but all were unsuccessful. Today, Private First Class Garza is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Zamora, Anselmo
Army Private 1st class

Anselmo Zamora from Texas, Comal county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Friday, February 24, 1950
Death details: On July 5, 1950, Task Force Smith, the first U.S. ground element to engage North Korean People’s Army (NKPA) troops, was defending a position north of Osan, South Korea. The Task Force’s goal was to delay enemy forces by blocking their movement down the road south from Suwon to Taejon, which was a major avenue of advance for the NKPA. That morning, the Task Force was engaged by a column of enemy tanks. The anti-tank weapons that the infantrymen employed were ineffective, and a large number of tanks broke through their position. Task Force Smith was forced to withdraw to the south, suffering heavy casualties in the process. Private First Class Anselmo Zamora, who joined the U.S. Army from Texas, served with B Company, 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. His unit was part of Task Force Smith, and he was captured by enemy forces on July 5. He was forced to march to the Apex prison camps in North Korea, and died of malnutrition at the camp at Hanjang-ni on February 24, 1951. He was buried near the camp; however, his remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire. Today, Private First Class Zamora is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency 

Dean, Billy B.
Navy Rdm 3

Billy B. Dean from Texas.

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Monday, December 18, 1944
Death details: He was aboard the destroyer USS Hull as it operated as part of the Fast Carrier Strike Force in the Philippine Sea. On December 17, 1944, the Hull was participating in refueling operations when the ships of its fueling group were engulfed by Typhoon Cobra. The Hull lost its ability to steer amid the enormous waves and began taking on water. The Hull eventually took on too much water to stay afloat and rolled and sank shortly before noon, on December 18. Sixty-two crew members were rescued, but a little more than two-hundred crew members were lost in the sinking.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Pile, Porter M.
Army 2nd lieutenant

Porter M. Pile from Texas, Cameron county.

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Wednesday, September 27, 1944

Death details: On November 28, 2022, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Second Lieutenant Porter M. Pile, missing from World War II. Second Lieutenant Pile entered the U.S. Army Air Forces from Missouri and served in the 700th Bombardment Squadron, 445th Bombardment Group. On September 27, 1944, he was navigator on a B-24 liberator (serial number 42-95078) that took off from Tibenham, England as part of a bombing mission against enemy targets in Kassel, Germany. After successfully dropping its bombs, the aircraft was on its return flight to England when its formation was attacked by roughly 150 German fighter planes. During the ensuing air battle, the B-24 was badly damaged, and several crew members were wounded. A fire soon started near the bomb bay, and three crew members bailed out. These men survived but were taken prisoner by German forces and were eventually returned to U.S. custody following the war. Reportedly, one of the wounded crew members was pushed from the aircraft by another, but his parachute did not open, and he died as a result. The remaining five crew members are believed to have gone down with the plane or were lost while attempting to bail out, and they could not be located following the incident. 2LT Pile was last seen with an injured leg standing near one of the plane’s exits, but it is unknown if he bailed out. German records did not report him as a prisoner of war. Following the war, the crash site for this Liberator was discovered by the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC) outside Richelsdorf, Germany. An identification tag and human remains were discovered, but they could not be identified at the time and were interred as unknowns. In 2015 and 2016, three DPAA recovery teams performed excavation operations at the Liberator crash site. Remains recovered from these excavations and those recovered in 1951 were consolidated and accessioned for analysis at the DPAA Laboratory. The laboratory analyses and the totality of the circumstantial evidence available established the remains as those of 2LT Pile.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Load More
Back To Top