Tag: Yalu River

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Goosby, Connie
Army Private 1st class

Connie Goosby, age 23, from Coweta County Newnan, Georgia .

Parents: Maria Goosby

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Tuesday, April 10, 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 Connie Goosby, who joined the U.S. Army from Georgia, served with Battery B, 503rd Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured by enemy forces on December 1, 1950, as his unit made a fighting withdrawal from Kunu-ri south to Sunchon, North Korea. He was marched to a temporary prison camp in the Pukchin-Tarigol Valley, where he died of exhaustion and pneumonia on an unspecified date in late January or early February. Although he was buried near the camp, his remains have not been identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the war. Corporal Goosby 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 Herald (1954)

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Gordon, Clarence James Jr.
Army Corporal

Clarence James Jr. Gordon, age 31, from Los Angeles County Los Angeles, California .

Parents: Lucille Gordon

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Saturday, April 7, 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 Clarence James Gordon Jr., who joined the U.S. Army from California, served with Headquarters Battery, 503rd Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured by enemy forces on December 1,1950, as his unit made a fighting withdrawal from Kunu-ri south to Sunchon, North Korea. He was marched north to Camp 5 at Pyoktong, where he died of exhaustion, pneumonia, and malnutrition on April 7, 1951. He was buried by fellow prisoners near the camp, however his remains have not been identified among those returned to U.S. custody. Sergeant Gordon 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, UPI (1951)

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Dorrance, James Lee
Army Sergeant

James Lee Dorrance, age 20, from Douglas County Omaha, Nebraska .

Spouse: Mariana L. Dorrance

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Saturday, March 17, 1951
Death details: On May 22, 2023, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Sergeant First Class James Lee Dorrance, missing from the Korean War. Sergeant First Class Dorrance entered the U.S. Army from Nebraska and served in B Battery, 82nd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. 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. SFC Dorrance was captured during the fighting around Kunu-ri on December 1 and taken to Prisoner of War Camp 5 in Pyoktong, North Korea. Returning American POWs reported that he died there of March 17, 1951. During Operation GLORY, the postwar exchange of war dead, 495 sets of remains from burial grounds around POW Camp 5 were returned to United Nations Command. All but 38 were identified. Those remains were buried as Unknowns at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. In August 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 SFC Dorrance.

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

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Beasley, Clifford Douglas
Army Sergeant

Clifford Douglas Beasley from Dawson County Texas.

Service era: Korea

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 Clifford Douglas Beasley, who joined the U.S. Army from Kentucky, served with Battery C, 503rd Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured by enemy forces on December 1, 1950, as his artillery unit was overrun while moving from Kunu-ri to Sunchon, North Korea. He was marched northward to Camp 5 at Pyoktong, and died there of pneumonia on March 14, 1951. Although he was buried near the camp, his remains were not identified among those returned to U.S.custody after the war. Sergeant Beasley 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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Devone, George Dewey
Army Private 1st class

George Dewey Devone, age 29, from Baltimore County Maryland.

Parents: Estella Devone

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Sunday, March 11, 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 George Dewey Devone, who joined the U.S. Army from Maryland, served with Battery A, 503rd Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured by enemy forces on December 1, 1950, when his unit was overrun by enemy troops during a fighting withdrawal from Kunu-ri south to Sunchon. He was marched north to a temporary prison camp Pukchin Tarigol Valley in North Korea, and died there on March 11, 1951, of pneumonia, exhaustion and malnutrition. His remains have not been identified among those returned to U.S. custody. Corporal Devone 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, Raleigh News and Observer (1951)

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Feenstra, Raymond
Army Sergeant

Raymond Feenstra from Beaver County Pennsylvania.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Saturday, March 10, 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 Raymond Feenstra Jr., who joined the U.S. Army from Pennsylvania, 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. SFC Feenstra was marched to a holding village near the Pukchin-Tarigol Valley in North Korea, where he died of illness on March 10, 1951. His remains have not been recovered, and he was not identified among remains returned to U.S. custody after the end of the war. Today, Sergeant First Class Feenstra 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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Brown, Carlton Henry
Army Sergeant

Carlton Henry Brown, age 21, from Powhatan County Virginia.

Parents: Jennie B. Taylor

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Wednesday, March 7, 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 Carlton Henry Brown, who joined the U.S. Army from Virginia, served with Battery B, 503rd Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured by enemy forces on December 1, 1950, as his artillery unit supported 2nd Infantry Division troops withdrawing south to Kunu-ri. He was marched northward to the Pukchin-Tarigol Valley where he died of malnutrition and pneumonia on March 7, 1951, while under the care of a captured Army doctor. His remains have not been identified among those returned to U.S.custody. Today, Sergeant First Class Brown 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, Richmond News Leader (1951)

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Byrom, Delbert Albert
Army Corporal

Delbert Albert Byrom, age 41, from Alameda County Berkeley, California .

Spouse: Mary A. Byrom

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Tuesday, March 6, 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 Delbert Albert Byrom, who joined the U.S. Army from California, was a member of Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured by the CCF during the fighting withdrawal from Kunu-ri on December 1. He was taken to a holding point near the Pukchin-Tarigol Valley, North Korea, where he died of malnutrition, exhaustion, and pneumonia on March 6, 1951. His remains have not been recovered, and he was not identified among the remains returned to U.S. custody after the war. Today, Sergeant Byrom 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, Oakland Tribune (1954)

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Akers, Herbert Dale
Army Private 1st class

Herbert Dale Akers, age 18, from Vigo County Terre Haute, Indiana .

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Monday, March 5, 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 Herbert Dale Akers, who joined the U.S. Army from Indiana, served with Battery A, 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 the 2nd Infantry Division’s withdrawal. He was marched north with other prisoners to a temporary holding camp in the Pukchin-Tarigol Valley, and died there of malnutrition and dysentery on March 5, 1951. He was buried near the camp, however his remains were not recovered or identified after the war. Today, Corporal Akers 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, Terre Haute Tribune (1950)

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Eklund, Edwin Gustaf Jr.
Army Captain

Edwin Gustaf Jr. Eklund, age 29, from Hennepin County Minneapolis, Minnesota .

Parents: Edwin G. Eklund
Spouse: Rosann N. Eklund

Service era: Korea
Schools: Graduate of the University of Minnesota medical school

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 Edwin Gustaf Eklund Jr., who joined the U.S. Army from Minnesota, was a member of B Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured during the fighting withdrawal from Kunu-ri on December 1. He was marched to a holding village at the Pukchin-Tarigol Valley in North Korea, where he died of exhaustion and pneumonia in January 1951. His remains have not been recovered, and he was not identified among remains returned to U.S. custody after the end of the war. Today, Captain Eklund 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, Minneapolis Star (1953)