Tag: Yalu River 1950

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Desautels, Richard George
Army Corporal

Richard George Desautels, age 21, from Addison County Shoreham, Vermont .

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Wednesday, April 29, 1953
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 Richard George Desautels, who joined the U.S. Army from Vermont, served with A Company, 2nd Engineer Combat Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured by enemy forces on December 1, 1950, as his unit was withdrawing from Kunu-ri to Sunchon. He was marched with a large group of other prisoners to the Pukchin-Tarigol Valley, and from there to Camp 5 at Pyoktong. Several of his companions, who survived their captivity, remembered that he had a leg wound near his knee, and that he managed to learn a few rudimentary words of Chinese and could communicate with his captors. The Chinese allowed him to help drive trucks of food supplies to various POW camps. He appears in Chinese records, which state that he became very sick while at Mukden (now Shenyang) Manchuria and died there on 29 April 1953. His remains have not been recovered. Sergeant Desautels is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. In a March 2003 meeting, Chinese officials told the U.S. that after he “became mentally ill.”

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Valley News (2008)

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Riddle, Hoyle Trentun
Army Sergeant

Hoyle Trentun Riddle, age 38, from Contra Costa County Richmond, California .

Spouse: Ola Riddle. She learned about her husband’s death when an ex-POW told her: “We buried him.” He told her her husband wandered out into the snow from his POW camp mud hut. Apparently he was crazed from hunger, and froze to death.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Friday, November 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. Sergeant First Class Hoyle Trenton Riddle, who joined the U.S. Army from California, served with Headquarters, Headquarters and Service Company, 2nd Engineer Combat Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured by enemy forces on November 30, 1950, as his unit withdrew from Kunu-ri to Sunchon. He was marched with other prisoners of war to the Pukchin-Tarigol Valley, North Korea, where he died late December 1950, from pneumonia. He was buried at Pukchin-Tarigol, but his remains have not been recovered. Sergeant First Class Riddle is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

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Arias, Lawrence Lacanaria
Sergeant Army

Lawrence Lacanaria Arias, age 37, from Virgin Islands.

Spouse: Rebecca Poso Arias

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Tuesday, May 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. Sergeant Lawrence Lacanaria Arias joined the U.S. Army from the Virgin Islands and was a member of the Headquarters and Service Company, 2nd Engineer Combat Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. On November 30, 1950, he was captured by enemy forces near Kunu-ri, North Korea, as his unit made its fighting withdrawal from the Chongchon River area. Sergeant Arias was marched to a prisoner of war camp in Pyoktong, North Korea, known as Camp 5, where he died in May 1951. He was not identified among remains returned to U.S. custody after the conflict’s ceasefire, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Sergeant Arias is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Associated Press (1953)

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Thayer, George Lytle
Army Sergeant

George Lytle Thayer, age 22, from Crawford County Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania .

Parents: Glenn C. Thayer

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Monday, April 23, 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 First Class George Lytle Thayer, who joined the U.S. Army from Pennsylvania, served with D Company, 2nd Engineer Combat Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured by enemy forces on December 1, 1950, as his unit withdrew from Kunu-ri to Sunchon. He and a large group of fellow prisoners were marched north to Camp 5 at Pyoktong, North Korea. Following the end of hostilities, surviving prisoners reported that he died there of malnutrition on April 23, 1951. He was buried at Camp 5, but his remains have not been among those returned to U.S. custody. Sergeant First Class Thayer is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Pittsburgh Press (1954)

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Evans, Edward Richard
Army Corporal

Edward Richard Evans, age 22, from Mercer County West Virginia.

Spouse: Married

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Sunday, April 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. Sergeant Edward Richard Evans, who joined the U.S. Army from West Virginia, served with Headquarters, Headquarters and Service Company, 2nd Engineer Combat Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured by enemy forces during his unit’s withdrawal from Kunu-ri to Sunchon. He was marched northward with a large group of other prisoners and died on 15 April 1951 of malnutrition soon after reaching Camp 5 at Pyoktong. His remains have not been among those returned by North Korea thus far. Sergeant Evans is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Courier Journal (1951)

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Arionus, Lyman Henry
Army Private 1st class

Lyman Henry Arionus, age 28, from Beltrami County Blackduck, Minnesota .

Parents: Florence Blair

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Saturday, March 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. Corporal Lyman Henry Arionus, who joined the U.S. Army from Minnesota, served with the Headquarters, Headquarters and Service Company, 2nd Engineer Combat Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured by enemy forces on November 30, 1950, as his unit was fighting through a heavily defended roadblock during their withdrawal to Sunchon. Corporal Arionus was first marched to the Pukchin-Tarigol Valley Camp with a large group of POWs. His group then arrived at Camp 5 in Pyokyong in late January, 1951, and died there of malnutrition and pneumonia on an unrecorded date in May. His remains have not been recovered. Corporal Arionus is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Minneapolis Star Tribune (1953)

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White, Delbert Lloyd
Army Private 1st class

Delbert Lloyd White, age 20, from Davis County Belknap, Iowa .

Parents: Darlene E. White

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Sunday, March 18, 1951
Death details: On September 27, 2022, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Corporal Delbert Lloyd White, missing from the Korean War. Corporal White entered the U.S. Army from Iowa and served in D Company, 2nd Engineer (Combat) Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. In 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 could not halt the CCF advance and was ordered to withdraw to defensive positions farther south. As the division pulled back from Kunu-ri toward Sunchon, it conducted an intense rearguard action and suffered heavy casualties. CPL White was captured by enemy forces on December 1, 1950. He and other prisoners were marched northward to Camp 5, Pyoktong, North Korea, where he died of malnutrition on March 18, 1951. During Operation GLORY, the postwar exchange of war dead, remains from burial grounds around POW Camp 5 were returned to United Nations Command. The majority were identified, but 38 sets of remains could not be. Those remains were buried as Unknowns at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. In October 2019, as part of a planned exhumation of Project GLORY burials originating from Camp 5, one set of remains was disinterred and sent to a DPAA laboratory for further study. The laboratory analysis and the totality of the circumstantial evidence available established the remains as those of CPL White.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Ames Daily Tribune (1951)

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Streeter, Karl James
Army Sergeant

Karl James Streeter, age 20, from Sandusky County Ohio.

Spouse: Rose Mary (Ross)
Children: Daughter, 4

Service era: Korea
Schools: Clyde High

Date of death: Wednesday, March 14, 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 First Class Karl James Streeter, who entered the U.S. Army from Ohio, was a member of D Company, 2nd Engineer Combat Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured by enemy forces on December 1, 1950, during this withdrawal, and was eventually moved to the Camp 5 prison facility in Pyok-tong, North Korea. He died there on or before March 14, 1951, was buried in the vicinity of the camp. However, his remains were not identified among those that have been returned to U.S. custody since the ceasefire, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Sergeant First Class Streeter is memorialized in the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Fremont News Messenger (1954)

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Crawford, Garland Deskin
Army Captain

Garland Deskin Crawford, age 35, from Tarrant County Fort Worth, Texas .

Parents: E. J. Ward and John F. Crawford
Spouse: Married
Children: Sharon, 7, Bill, 5

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Wednesday, February 28, 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. Captain Garland Deskin Crawford, who joined the U.S. Army from Texas, was the commanding officer of D Company, 2nd Engineer Combat Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured by enemy forces on December 1, 1950, as his unit withdrew from Kunu-ri to Sunchon. He was marched with a large group of prisoners to the Pukchin-Tarigol Valley. He died of malnutrition there while under the care of a captured Army doctor, whose notes indicate an approximate death date of February 6, 1951. His remains have not been recovered. Captain Crawford is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Fort Worth Star Telegram 91953)

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Drennen, Hugh John
Army Sergeant 1st class

Hugh John Drennen, age 23, from Durham County Durham, North Carolina .

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Wednesday, February 28, 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. Master Sergeant Hugh John Drennen, who joined the U.S. Army from North Carolina, served with the Headquarters, Headquarters and Service Company, 2nd Engineer Combat Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured by enemy forces on November 30, 1950 as his unit withdrew from Kunu-ri to Sunchon. He and a group of other prisoners were held in a series of villages near the battle area for a few months while the enemy prepared holding camps large enough to contain the prisoners they had captured. Master Sergeant Drennen died of pneumonia in late January or early February, 1951. His remains have not been recovered. Today, Master Sergeant Drennen is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Herald Sun (2005)