 The Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, Illinois Department of
Veterans' Affairs, Illinois Korean Memorial Association, and the
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, along with media
partners the Illinois Press Association and the Illinois
Broadcasters Association, are sponsoring "Illinois Remembers the
Forgotten War." For more information, visit
www.illinois-history.gov
or www.veterans.illinois.gov.Illinoisans killed in action in
Korea, October 1952
By county of residence
(Source: U.S. Department of Defense records)
Champaign:
- Cpl. John V. McKinney, Army, Oct. 30.
Christian:
- Pfc. Kenneth L. Moomey, Army, Oct. 24.
Clay:
- Pfc. Lawrence Liston, Marines, Oct. 14.
Clinton:
- Pfc. John E. Ingram, Army, Oct. 28.
Cook:
-
Sgt. Albert Cozart Jr., Army, Oct. 12.
-
2nd Lt. Robert L. Dunne, Air Force, Oct. 18.
-
Cpl. Clarence E. Gibson, Army, Oct. 16.
-
Pfc. Wilbert M. Heider, Army, Oct. 15.
-
Pfc. Edward V. Hladik Jr., Army, Oct. 15.
-
Sgt. Bryant E. Judson Jr., Marines, Oct. 17.
-
Cpl. Joseph J. Kotwica, Marines, Oct. 27.
-
Pvt. John A. Kripoton, Army, Oct. 12.
-
Pfc. Edward S. Lucarz, Marines, Oct. 1.
-
Pfc. Rufus R. Morris, Army, Oct. 19.
-
Sgt. Edward Pavlak, Army, Oct. 14.
-
Pfc. Howard W. Ramser Jr., Army, Oct. 18.
-
Pvt. Joseph T. Richards, Army, Oct. 6.
-
Pfc. George J. Semetges, Army, Oct. 26.
-
Pfc. Robert P. Summeries, Marines, Oct. 6.
-
Cpl. Bill D. Thorpe, Marines, Oct. 6.
-
Pfc. Joseph W. Ujek Jr., Army, Oct. 14.
-
Pfc. Douglas G. Vandermyde, Marines, Oct. 9.
-
Pfc. Frank P. Wojnowiak, Army, Oct. 17.
Crawford:
- Pfc. Richard A. Treadway, Army, Oct. 15.
DuPage:
-
Pfc. Irwin L. Eggert, Army, Oct. 17.
-
Cpl. Donald E. Engh, Marines, Oct. 27.
-
Pfc. Frederick C. Kahnt, Army, Oct. 28.
-
Cpl. John T. Lavelle, Marines, Oct. 22.
Greene:
- Pfc. Howard L. Carr, Army, Oct. 28.
Henderson:
- Pfc. Dean I. McIntyre, Army, Oct. 17.
Jo Daviess:
- Pvt. Robert K. Green, Army, Oct. 14.
Kankakee:
- Pfc. Earl Alexander, Army, Oct. 28.
Lake:
- Pfc. Albert D. Moen, Army, Oct. 14.
Macoupin:
- Pfc. William A. Burk, Army, Oct. 19.
Madison:
-
Pfc. Robert D. Hallmark, Army, Oct. 15.
-
Pvt. Loren Staton, Marines, Oct. 7.
Massac:
- Pvt. Everett D. Lynn, Army, Oct. 17.
McLean:
- Cpl. Louis P. Plagakis, Marines, Oct. 27.
Monroe:
- Cpl. William H. Thien Jr., Army, Oct. 23.
Montgomery:
- Pfc. Charles A. Weitekamp, Marines, Oct. 27.
Perry:
- Sgt. Donald E. Williams, Army, Oct. 14.
Pike:
- Pfc. Lloyd J. Wilson Jr., Marines, Oct. 6.
Richland:
- Pfc. Tony R. Leet, Army, Oct. 26.
St. Clair:
- Pvt. Lawrence R. Cochran, Army, Oct. 14.
Sangamon:
- Pvt. Wayne F. Elliott, Army, Oct. 29.
Wayne:
- Pfc. John M. Borah, Army, Oct. 1.
Will:
- Pfc. Gerald L. Haerr, Marines, Oct. 7.
Woodford:
- 2nd Lt. William E. White, Army, Oct. 28.
Key events during the Korean War, October 1952
The American public was growing increasingly war-weary in October
1952. The war in Korea had lasted well over two years and seemed no
closer to ending than when peace talks had started some 15 months
before. The seesaw struggle in no man's land between United Nations
and Communist forces continued month after month. The heavy
casualties incurred in these bitter outpost battles had discouraged
new U.N. offensives.
However, Far East Commander Mark Clark became convinced that the
United Nations' high casualty rates were due in part to the fact
that the U.N. had been on the defensive, allowing the enemy to
launch attacks when and where he wished. Gen. Clark authorized
offensive operations, allowing U.N. forces to regain the initiative
and force the Communists to fight on American terms.
Fighting around the Triangle Hill area, just north of Kumhwaarea,
where portions of the U.N. trench line were only 200 yards from
enemy lines, was especially intense. Seizing Triangle Hill and
nearby Sniper Ridge would force the enemy to fall back nearly a
mile, strengthening U.N. positions and reducing friendly casualties.
[to top of second column]
 |
 An offensive would also serve a political purpose. On Oct. 8,
U.N. negotiators walked out of the armistice talks after being
unable to reach an agreement with Communist negotiators on the issue
of prisoner exchange. The Communists wanted all prisoners exchanged,
regardless of the prisoners' own preference. The U.N. was adamant
that this would not take place, as tens of thousands of North Korean
and Chinese POWs did not want to return north.
On Oct. 14, United Nations artillery and aircraft began pummeling
Triangle Hill. Unfortunately, Communist defenses proved tougher than
expected, and U.N. reinforcements were sent in piecemeal to press
the attack. When the battle finally ended several weeks later, two
U.N. infantry divisions, the U.S. 7th and the South Korean 2nd, had
suffered more than 9,000 casualties in the failed attempt to capture
Triangle Hill. Estimates of Chinese casualties exceeded 19,000 men,
but the Communists had the manpower for such fights and did not
hesitate to pour in men to hold key terrain. The United Nations did
not have such resources.
Meanwhile, the Chinese launched attacks of their own. White Horse
Hill was a 1,300-foot-tall hill held by South Korean units in the
key central region of Korea. On Oct. 3, a defecting Chinese officer
revealed to his U.N. interrogators that an attack on the hill was
imminent. U.N. commanders quickly reinforced the South Korean troops
defending the hill with tanks and artillery. Then on Oct. 6, U.N.
aircraft attacked the areas where the Chinese were thought to be
gathering for their attack.
The Chinese responded by opening the floodgates of a nearby
reservoir, hoping the rising water would prevent U.N. reinforcements
from arriving once their attack began on White Horse Hill. Thousands
of Chinese were soon attacking the South Korean defenders, with the
attacks persisting for several days. During 10 days of battle, White
Horse Hill changed hands 24 times, making it one of the most intense
battles for a small hill during the course of the Korean War.
Ultimately, the South Korean troops prevailed, thanks in no small
part to heavy supporting fires from United States aircraft,
artillery and tanks.
Afterward, the area looked like a threadbare white horse, and the
name White Horse Hill stuck. The battle is also noteworthy for the
fact that, apart from the massive American tank, artillery and air
support, it was entirely fought between South Korean and Chinese
troops.
In the air war, on Oct. 9 the U.S. 7th Fleet began its "Cherokee"
bombing strikes campaign against battlefront enemy supply
facilities, a campaign that continued through the end of the war.
Meanwhile, on the home front, the presidential election campaign
went into high gear. On Oct. 24, with the election less than two
weeks away, Republican candidate Dwight D. Eisenhower announced that
he would go to Korea if elected, a promise he later kept.
Illinois Korean War Memorial
The Illinois Korean War Memorial is located in Springfield's Oak
Ridge Cemetery, the same cemetery that contains the Lincoln Tomb.
Oak Ridge is the nation's second-most visited burial ground, behind
only Arlington National Cemetery.
Dedicated on June 16, 1996, the memorial consists of a
12-foot-tall bronze bell mounted on a granite base. At the
circumference of the base are four niches, each with a
larger-than-life figure representing a branch of the armed services.
Inscribed on the base are the names of 1,754 Illinoisans killed in
Korea.
The Illinois Korean War Memorial is administered by the Illinois
Historic Preservation Agency and may be visited daily free of
charge.
Korean War veterans oral history project
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum
The oral history program at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential
Library and Museum offers "Veterans
Remember," a collection of interviews with Illinois residents
about their wartime experiences, at the library's website,
www.alplm.org/oral_history/home.html. The audio interviews
concern the experiences of Illinois veterans who fought in several
conflicts, including the Korean War, as well as the experiences of
those on the home front. Visitors to the website can listen to or
watch the interviews in their entirety. Several of the interviews
have transcripts, and most have still images as well.
Website visitors will need a computer capable of playing MP3
audio files or MPG compressed video files in order to listen to the
interviews. The transcripts and still images are also accessible.
Volunteers conducted and edited many of the interviews and developed
the transcripts that accompany them.
Korean War National Museum
The Korean War National Museum, or KWNM, celebrates the 60th
anniversary of the Korean War with a new board of directors, new
professional staff and a renewed focus on getting a world-class
museum built now, in the lifetime of the Korean War veterans. Media
reports have outlined a proposal of the KWNM to obtain 7,000 square
feet of prime space at Navy Pier in Chicago for a state-of-the-art,
world-class museum where visitors could come to honor and learn
about the service and sacrifices of the Americans, South Koreans and
their U.N. allies in the "forgotten victory." Those plans are
continuing to be developed, and the KWNM hopes to be able to share
more news soon.
Meanwhile, the Denis J. Healy Freedom Center, located at 9 South
Old State Capitol Plaza in Springfield, is open Tuesday through
Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free, but donations are
accepted.
The KWNM welcomes donations of photographs, documents, diaries
and artifacts of those who served in the Korean War. To learn more
about the KWNM, or to volunteer or donate, visit
www.kwnm.org or look for the
museum on Facebook.
Korean War booklet
The Illinois Korean Memorial Association, an all-volunteer
organization, has published a booklet, "A Brief History of the
Korean War," copies of which have been provided free of charge to
public libraries, high schools and junior high schools in Illinois.
Individuals may obtain a copy by sending a $10 check or money order
to: Illinois Korean Memorial Association, P.O. Box 8554,
Springfield, IL 62791.
Tax-deductible donations are welcome. All donations go to the
book project and to the upkeep of the Illinois Korean War Memorial.
[Text from file received from
the Illinois Historic
Preservation Agency] |
