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This Remembrance Profile was originally created by SGT Robert Briggs - Deceased
In late November 1950, Koon was assigned to the Medical Company, 1/9th Infantry Regiment member of the 2nd Infantry Division advancing north of Kunu-ri, North Korea. On Nov. 25, the Chinese Army counterattacked the Americans in what would become known as the Battle of the Chong Chon (River). This combat was some of the fiercest of the war, and the 2nd Division initiated a fighting withdrawal to the south. Koon was captured by Chinese forces during the intense enemy fire, and subsequently died while in captivity from malnutrition and medical neglect.
Sergeant First Class Koon was a medic with the Medical Company, 1/9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was taken Prisoner of War while tending his wounded comrades in North Korea ( KUNU-RI GAUNTLET) on December 1, 1950 and died while a prisoner on April 30, 1951.
In 2002, two joint U.S./Democratic People’s Republic of Korea teams, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), investigated and excavated a mass burial site located 20 miles northwest of Kunu-ri, along the route taken by captured U.S. POWs being moved to permanent POW camps along the Yalu River. The teams recovered remains at the site believed to be those of several U.S. servicemen, including Koon.
Comments/Citation:
George Walter Koon will be buried tomorrow in Leesville, 17 May 2008
