Wells County North Dakota

Kopseng, James Claire
Army Staff sergeant

James Claire Kopseng, age 21, from Harvey, North Dakota, Wells county.

Service era: Vietnam
Military history: 35th Infantry Regiment

Date of death: Wednesday, May 14, 1969
Death details: Bronze Star citation: For heroism in connection with military operations against an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam. Staff Sergeant Kopseng distinguished himself while serving as a Squad Leader with D, 1/35th Infantry. On 14 May 1969, Staff Sergeant Kopseng’s unit was conducting a search and destroy operation in the heavily vegetated area south of LZ Charmaine. Staff Sergeant Kopseng was at point of his squad, teaching a new man the fundamental principles of working as the point element. As the made their way through the dense vegetation, a booby-trapped enemy anti-personnel mine was triggered, mortally wounding Staff Sergeant Kopseng. Staff Sergeant Kopseng’s outstanding performace, professionalism, and exemplary devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

Source: National Archives, 35th Infantry Regiment Association

Schmitt, Robert Gerard
Army 1st lieutenant

Robert Gerard Schmitt from North Dakota, Wells county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Friday, December 1, 1950

Death details: 

On the evening of November 27, 1950, Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) launched a massive attack against the U.S. and United Nations troops stationed in the Chosin Reservoir area in northeast North Korea, resulting in a seventeen-day conflict that became known as the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. At the time of the initial CCF attack, members the U.S. Army’s 31st and 32nd Infantry Regiments were defending the area north of Sinhung-ni, on the east side of the reservoir. The defenders were overwhelmed by the numerically superior CCF, and on December 1, were forced to withdraw to friendly lines at Hagaru-ri. Chinese roadblocks from Sinhung-ni to Hagaru-ri along with the constant enemy fire from the surrounding high ground, made the withdrawal route extremely dangerous. Eventually, the column was broken into separate segments, which the CCF attacked individually. Many men were lost or captured during the moving battle, with survivors reaching friendly lines in Hagaru-ri on December 2 and 3.

First Lieutenant Robert Gerard Schmitt entered the U.S. Army from North Dakota and was a member of Company M, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. On December 1, 1950, he was killed while fighting at the base of Hill 1221, during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. His remains were not recovered at the time of his loss, and he remains unaccounted-for. Today, First Lieutenant Schmitt is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Buik, Herbert Edward
Army Private

Herbert Edward Buik, age 19, from Wells County Harvey, North Dakota .

Parents: H. E. Buik

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Wednesday, July 26, 1950
Death details: In late July 1950, elements of the 27th Infantry Regiment, 8th Cavalry Regiment, and other units in the 25th Infantry and 1st Cavalry Divisions were tasked with blocking a North Korean People’s Army (NKPA) advance down the Poun-Hwanggan Highway, toward Kumch’on, roughly thirty-five miles west of Taegu. On July 23 and 24, U.S. units fought a series of engagements against the advancing NKPA forces. Heavy enemy artillery fire barrages forced the U.S. units back slowly until they began to withdraw to new positions on July 26. Over the next three days, the units withdrew and consolidated in Kumch’on, though many American soldiers died, were captured, or went missing during this action.
Private First Class Herbert Edward Buik Jr., who joined the U.S. Army from North Dakota, was a member of C Company, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. On July 24, 1950, members of the 1st Battalion were positioned in the village of Sangyang-ni on the Poun-Hwanggan highway when they came under heavy NKPA attack. Enemy tanks overran the defenders’ position, forcing the 1st Battalion to fall back. Private First Class Buik was captured by the NKPA at some point during the fighting withdrawal. He was marched north, eventually arriving at the Apex camps on the bank of the Yalu River in North Korea. He died of pneumonia in February of 1951 while being held at the Apex camp at Hanjang-ni. He was buried on a hill overlooking the camp, but his remains have not been identified among those returned to U.S. custody following the end of hostilities. Today, Private First Class Buik 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, Forgo Forum (1954)

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