Tag: Yalu River

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Gustafson, Henry Leo
Army Private

Henry Leo Gustafson, age 19, from Cook County Evanston, Illinois .

Parents: Carl C. Gustafeon

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Monday, December 31, 1951
Death details: On June 28, 2011, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC, now DPAA) identified the remains of Private First Class Henry Leo Gustafson, missing from the Korean War. Private First Class Gustafson entered the U.S. Army from Illinois and served in Battery B, 57th Field Artillery Battalion, 7th Infantry Division. He was captured by the enemy on December 2, 1950, as his unit withdrew from positions near Kaljon-ri, North Korea, during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. PFC Gustafson died in enemy custody shortly after his capture from wounds he had sustained in combat, though the exact date of his death remains unknown. He was buried near the area of his death, but his remains were not returned to the U.S. immediately following the war. In 1993, the North Korean government repatriated the remains of several U.S. service members recovered from near the Chosin Reservoir, and in 2011, analysts were able to successfully identify PFC Gustafson from among these remains. Private First Class Gustafson 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, Sault St. Marie Evening News (1953)

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Farrell, William Thomas
Army Private

William Thomas Farrell, age 18, from Cambria County Nicktown, Pennsylvania .

Parents: William T. Farrell

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Friday, August 31, 1951
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 William Thomas Farrell, who joined the U.S. Army from Pennsylvania, served with Battery C, 38th Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured by enemy forces on November 30, 1950, as his unit made a fighting withdrawal from Kunu-ri south into Sunchon. He was marched with other prisoners of war to POW Camp 5 at Pyoktong, North Korea, where he died of pellagra on August 31, 1951. His remains have not been identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the war. Today, Private First Class Farrell 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, Pittsburgh Press (1950)

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Cherry, Augustus William
Army Private 1st class

Augustus William Cherry, age 27, from New Haven County New Haven, Connecticut .

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Sunday, July 15, 1951
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. Major Fred Dennis Chesnut, who joined the U.S. Army from California, was a member of the Headquarters Company of the 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. On November 29, 1950, the 38th Infantry Regiment was ordered to defend the area east of Kunu-ri, to cover the start of the 2nd Division’s retreat. The CCF attacked as the 38th Infantry consolidated their defenses, forcing the defenders to fight their way back to Kunu-ri before joining the withdrawal to Sunchon. A series of moving battles ensued, and MAJ Chesnut was captured at some point during the fighting. He joined a column of prisoners who were forced to march to a CCF prison camp near the village of Pyoktong, known as Camp 5. Returning ex-prisoner reports indicate that MAJ Chesnut died of malnutrition at Camp 5 on July 15, 1951. His comrades buried him at the edge of the camp. American search teams have not been given access to work at Camp 5, and MAJ Chesnut could not be associated with any remains returned to U.S. custody after the war. During Operation Glory in 1954, the Chinese suggested one of the sets of remains they returned from Camp 5 were those of Major Chesnut, though the Army’s Central Identification Unit at Kokura, Japan determined the remains to be those of another soldier. Today, Major Chesnut 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, Associated Press (1954)

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Chesnut, Fred Dennis
Army Major

Fred Dennis Chesnut, age 33, from San Diego County San Diego, California .

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Sunday, July 15, 1951
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. Major Fred Dennis Chesnut, who joined the U.S. Army from California, was a member of the Headquarters Company of the 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. On November 29, 1950, the 38th Infantry Regiment was ordered to defend the area east of Kunu-ri, to cover the start of the 2nd Division’s retreat. The CCF attacked as the 38th Infantry consolidated their defenses, forcing the defenders to fight their way back to Kunu-ri before joining the withdrawal to Sunchon. A series of moving battles ensued, and MAJ Chesnut was captured at some point during the fighting. He joined a column of prisoners who were forced to march to a CCF prison camp near the village of Pyoktong, known as Camp 5. Returning ex-prisoner reports indicate that MAJ Chesnut died of malnutrition at Camp 5 on July 15, 1951. His comrades buried him at the edge of the camp. American search teams have not been given access to work at Camp 5, and MAJ Chesnut could not be associated with any remains returned to U.S. custody after the war. During Operation Glory in 1954, the Chinese suggested one of the sets of remains they returned from Camp 5 were those of Major Chesnut, though the Army’s Central Identification Unit at Kokura, Japan determined the remains to be those of another soldier. Today, Major Chesnut 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, Los Angeles Times (1953)

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Barlow, Duane Frederick
Army Private 1st Class

Duane Frederick Barlow, age 26, from Washington County Hudson Falls, New York .

Parents: Fred M. Barlow

Service era: Korea
Schools: Attended high school in Pottersville, Warren County.

Date of death: Wednesday, July 4, 1951
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 Duane Frederick Barlow, who joined the U.S. Army from New York, was a member of the Medical Company, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured by the CCF during the fighting withdrawal from Kunu-ri on December 1, 1950. He was eventually marched to POW Camp 5, a prison camp on the bank of the Yalu River in North Korea, where he died in July 1951. His remains have not been recovered, and he was not identified among the remains returned to U.S. custody after the war. Today, Corporal Barlow 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, Times Record (1954)

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Becker, Clarence Robert
Army Private 1st class

Clarence Robert Becker, age 19, from Lancaster County Lancaster, Pennsylvania .

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Sunday, May 20, 1951
Death details: On October 24, 2006, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC, now DPAA) identified the remains of Corporal Clarence Robert Becker, missing from the Korean War. Corporal Becker joined the U.S. Army from Pennsylvania and was a member of Headquarters Company, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. On December 1, 1950, he was captured by enemy forces when the convoy of trucks in which he was riding was ambushed south of Kunu-ri, North Korea. He was taken to Camp 5 in Pyoktong, North Korea, where he died of malnutrition and disease. CPL Becker’s remains were returned to U.S. custody in 1954; however, they could not be identified at the time and were buried as unknowns at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii. In 2005, advances in forensic techniques prompted the reexamination and identification of CPL Becker’s remains. Corporal Becker 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.
Cemetery: Indiantown Gap National

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Associated Press (2007)

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Brucker, Richard Charles
Army Private 1st Class

Richard Charles Brucker, age 18, from New York County New York.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Saturday, May 19, 1951
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 Richard Charles Brucker, who joined the U.S. Army from New York, served with Battery A, 38th Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured by enemy forces on November 30, 1950, as his unit, making a fighting withdrawal south towards Sunchon, was cut off and overrun by Chinese Communist soldiers. He was marched to Camp 5 at Pyoktong, North Korea, where he died of malnutrition on May 19, 1951. He was buried by his companions near the camp; however, his remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the war. Today, Corporal Bruckner 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, Associated Press (1953)

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Enos, Gordon Francis
Army Corporal

Gordon Francis Enos, age 24, from Maricopa County Salt River Indian Reservation, Arizona .

Parents: Harvey Enos Sr.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Friday, May 4, 1951
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 Gordon Francis Enos joined the U.S. Army from Arizona and was a member of L Company, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. On November 30, 1950, he was captured by enemy forces outside of Kunu-ri, as his unit made its fighting withdrawal toward Sunchon. Sergeant Enos was marched to Camp 5, a prisoner of war camp in Pyoktong, North Korea, where he died of malnutrition in May 1951. He was not identified among remains returned to U.S. custody after the war, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Sergeant Enos 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, Arizona Republic (1954)

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Hagen, Ronald Wayne
Army Private

Ronald Wayne Hagen, age 19, from Grand Forks County North Dakota.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Monday, April 30, 1951
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 Ronald Wayne Hagen, who joined the U.S. Army from North Dakota, served with the Headquarters Battery, 82nd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured by enemy forces on December 1, 1950, as his unit provided direct fire support to 2nd Infantry Division troops withdrawing south from Kunu-ri to Sunchon, North Korea. He was marched with other prisoners to Camp 5 at Pyoktong, where he died of pneumonia, malnutrition, and dysentery on April 30, 1951. Although his companions buried him near the camp, his remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the war. Today, Private First Class Hagen 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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Hanke, Robert Hilliard
Army Private

Robert Hilliard Hanke, age 18, from Miami County Ohio.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Monday, April 30, 1951
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 Robert Hilliard Hanke, who joined the U.S. Army from Ohio, served with Battery B, 38th Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured by enemy forces on November 30, 1950, as his unit made a fighting withdrawal from Kunu-ri south to Sunchon. He was marched as a prisoner of war to POW Camp 5 at Pyoktong, where he died of malnutrition on or about April 30, 1951. His companions buried him at the camp, however, his remains have not been identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the war. Today, Private First Class Hanke 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