 The Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, Illinois Department of
Veterans' Affairs, Illinois Korean Memorial Association, and the
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum are sponsoring
"Illinois Remembers the Forgotten War," along with media partners
the Illinois Press Association and the Illinois Broadcasters
Association. For more information, visit
www.illinois-history.gov
or
www.veterans.illinois.gov.___
Illinoisans killed in action in Korea, August 1952
By county of residence
(Source: U.S. Department of Defense records)
Adams:
-
Cpl. Alvin D. Baker,
Army, Aug. 21.
-
Cpl. Lester Hammond Jr., Army, Aug. 14.
(Medal of Honor)
Cook:
-
Pfc. Robert T.
Alilovich, Marines, Aug. 16.
-
Cpl. Manuel G.
Alvarado, Marines, Aug. 13.
-
Pfc. Harvey L.
Farmer, Army, Aug. 14.
-
Cpl. James H. Jack,
Marines, Aug. 1.
-
Pvt. Milan Krainovich,
Marines, Aug. 22.
-
Pvt. Steve J. Kroll,
Army, Aug. 25.
-
Pfc. Rune Lindahl,
Army, Aug. 29.
-
Cpl. Fred J. Marchert
Jr., Marines, Aug. 1.
-
Pfc. Raymond D.
Moccio, Army, Aug. 16.
-
Pvt. Collins Moulden
Jr., Army, Aug. 10.
-
Pfc. Anthony Polotto
Jr., Army, Aug. 5.
-
Pfc. Norbert C.
Sulzer, Army, Aug. 29.
-
Hospitalman Stanley
L. Sypniewski, Navy, Aug. 13.
-
Pfc. Allen E.
Thomsen, Army, Aug. 12.
-
Pfc. Kenneth F. Wolf,
Marines, Aug. 13.
-
Quartermaster Raymond S. Parrish, Navy,
Aug. 27.
Fayette:
- Pvt. Warren D. Sheafor, Army, Aug. 27.
Franklin:
- Sgt. James L. Antle, Army, Aug. 11.
Fulton:
- Pfc. Julius E. Slaughter, Marines, Aug. 22.
Henry:
- Private 2nd Class Kenneth A. Schlotfeldi, Army, Aug. 1.
Kane:
- Hospitalman Gordon W. Thomas, Navy, Aug. 8.
Lake:
-
Hospitalman John E.
Kilmer, Navy, Aug. 13. (Medal of Honor)
-
Cpl. John F. Popp Jr., Marines, Aug.
16.
Madison:
- Cpl. Richard T. Schum, Army, Aug. 8.
Mercer:
- Pfc. Richard J. Allison, Army, Aug. 11.
Peoria:
- Pfc. Andrew J. Morgan Jr., Marines, Aug. 26.
Perry:
- Pfc. Haroldene Bailey, Marines, Aug. 31.
Stephenson:
- Pfc. Jack E. Baxter, Army, Aug. 14.
Whiteside:
- Pfc. Ruben C. Cruz, Marines, Aug. 10.
Will:
- Cpl. Arthur A. Mikula, Army, Aug. 16.
Illinois Medal of Honor recipients
-
Hospitalman John E. Kilmer, U.S. Navy
Lake County
John E. Kilmer of Lake County, a hospitalman with the U.S. Navy,
was serving as a medical corpsman with the 1st Marine Division
in Korea on Aug. 13, 1952, when American units defending a hill
that the Marines christened "Bunker Hill" came under intense
enemy attack. Kilmer repeatedly braved intense enemy mortar,
artillery and sniper fire to move from one wounded man to
another, administering aid and helping evacuate the injured.
Kilmer was seriously wounded by mortar fire but continued to
help his comrades as more and more men fell around him. When the
enemy fire intensified, Kilmer used his own body to shield a
wounded man from flying shrapnel. Kilmer's actions saved the
wounded soldier's life but caused him to lose his own.
-
Cpl. Lester Hammond Jr., U.S. Army
Quincy
Cpl. Lester Hammond Jr. of Quincy, a radio operator with the
U.S. Army, was serving with the 187th Regimental Combat team
near Kumhwa, Korea. On Aug. 14, 1952, he was a member of a
six-man reconnaissance patrol that had penetrated about 3,500
yards into enemy-held territory. The small American patrol was
ambushed and surrounded by a larger enemy force but fought its
way up a narrow ravine in search of cover. Hammond was wounded
during the initial exchange of gunfire but remained in the open
so he could call in artillery fire that helped repulse several
enemy attacks. Hammond was wounded a second time but continued
to direct the artillery fire until a friendly platoon was able
to reach his patrol and help them withdraw. Hammond died from
his injuries, but the members of his patrol owed him their lives
for the actions he took during that day.
Key events during the Korean War, August 1952
The month of August began with the American public distracted by
the new Jo Stafford hit, "You Belong to Me," and otherwise following
American successes at the Helsinki Olympics. The subjects of popular
interest belied the harsh realities of combat in Korea.
[to top of second column] |
 The fight for "Old Baldy," or Hill 266, that began in July
continued into August when American soldiers finally recaptured the
crest of the hill from the Chinese early on Aug. 1 and dug in to
prepare for a counterattack. That night the Chinese fired more than
2,500 mortar and artillery shells at the crest of the hill where the
U.S. 23rd Infantry Regiment was entrenched. Mines, hastily dug
bunkers and additional barbed wire helped to strengthen the U.N.'s
hold on Old Baldy on Aug. 2, and extremely heavy and effective
artillery fire broke up another enemy assault on Aug. 4.
Another major battle erupted on Aug. 12 as troops from the 1st
Marine Division captured Hill 122 east of Panmunjom and then endured
four days of repeated attacks by the stubborn Chinese, who greatly
outnumbered the American defenders and pummeled them with artillery
and small-arms fire. The fighting became a contest of wills as the
two sides often fought hand-to-hand and United Nations aircraft
provided desperately needed close-air support. In the end, the
Marines hung on to the hill but wouldn't have long to savor the
victory, as the Chinese would attack again in September. The Marines
nicknamed the hard-fought piece of real estate "Bunker Hill" in
homage to the battle between the British and the Americans during
the Revolutionary War.
On Aug. 29 the largest air raid of the Korean War took place as
1,403 United Nations aircraft, including planes from aircraft
carriers, bombed the North Korean capital of Pyongyang. Air
superiority was one of the U.N.'s greatest assets, extending its
reach well beyond the front lines and the brutal combat that
characterized the fighting on the ground.
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 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, 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 on 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
some exciting news soon.
Meanwhile, the Denis J. Healy Freedom Center, 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] |
