Lawrence Kenneth DeSau, age 17, from Lycoming County Williamsport, Pennsylvania .
Parents: Mary R. DeSau
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Saturday, July 15, 1950
Death details: By July 1950, the North Korean People’s Army (NKPA) had taken control of Taejon, and the U.S. Eighth Army’s 25th Infantry Division and 1st Cavalry Division were sent into action. The 1st Cavalry Division deployed at Pohang between July 18-21 and immediately advanced west on the Taegu-Taejon road to establish blocking positions at Yongdong and defend the city. The ensuing three-day Battle of Yongdong was intense, and the 1st Cavalry Division was ultimately forced to withdraw on July 25 after the 5th Cavalry Regiment alone had lost 275 men. The battle inflicted heavy casualties on the NKPA and delayed its advance enough to allow United Nations (UN) forces to establish the Pusan Perimeter, but the NKPA still managed to capture many American prisoners of war (POWs). Prisoners were marched north to Seoul before being transferred to camps in Pyongyang. Many POWs were eventually rescued, though many others died from exhaustion and mistreatment. Poor record keeping by the NKPA and strained diplomatic tensions following the war have complicated the identification and recovery of those who went missing during the Battle of Yongdong, and many are still unaccounted for. Private First Class Lawrence Kenneth DeSau entered the U.S. Army from Pennsylvania and served in C Company of the 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. He was reported missing in action on July 15, 1950, following the Battle of Yongdong. Early reports following the war suggest he was taken prisoner during the battle and made it to Seoul, but never arrived in Pyongyang; however, information on PFC DeSau is limited, and he was not identified on any POW lists that were uncovered following the war. Today, Private First Class DeSau 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, Evening News (1950)
