Strong, William Augusta
Army Private
William Augusta Strong from California, Trinity 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. Private First Class William Augusta Strong joined the U.S. Army from California and was a member of Company E of the 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. On November 2, 1950, Company E was defending positions near Unsan, North Korea, and PFC Strong was taken prisoner of war (POW) during this combat. After his capture, he was marched to POW Camp 5 at Pyoktong, where he died of malnutrition in February 1951, and was buried nearby. His remains were not recovered at the time, and he has not been identified among the remains returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire. Today, Private First Class Strong is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency