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Pvt. Chester S. Hicks, son of Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd
Hicks of Madisonville, Route One, has been
reported as the first casualty from Monroe County
in the Korean War.
The parents of the 20-year old Monroe County soldier received word that
their son had been “missing in action” since July 14. The message was received July 21. At the time of his disappearance the
American forces were engaged in battle along the Kum
River.
Pvt. Hicks was serving in an artillery unit. He had been in the army for two
years. The last year had been spent
in Tokyo
from where he was transferred when the Korean War started. Before entering the service he attended Madisonville
High School.
One of Pvt. Hick’s brothers, Gene now living in Madisonville, served
in armed forces in WWII. He was
wounded and decorated with the Purple Heart. His other brother, James, is also living
in Madisonville. A sister, Mrs. Curtis Bernard, resides in
Chattanooga.
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The
name of a soldier now missing in Korea has turned up on the Knoxville
Journal's income tax refund list and relatives have requested information
necessary to get his refund.
He
is PFC Chester S. Hicks, son of Mr. & Mrs. Lloyd Hicks, Madisonville.
Private
Hicks has been missing in action since July 14, 1950. He had been in the
Army since August, 1948. He was a
member of the 24th Division.
He
attended Madisonville High School before entering the Army. He also has two brothers and one sister.
The
Knoxville Journal, Thu., Feb. 28, 1952
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Corporal,
U.S. Army
Service Number 14298511
Died while Prisoner of War
Died December 23, 1950 in Korea
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Corporal Hicks
was a member of Headquarters Battery, 63rd
Field Artillery Battalion, 24th Infantry Division. He was taken Prisoner of
War while fighting the enemy along the Kum River,
South Korea on July 14, 1950, forced to march to North Korea on the
"Tiger Death March", and died while a prisoner at Hanjang-ni, North Korea on December 23, 1950. His
remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the
Missing at the Honolulu
Memorial. Corporal Hicks was awarded the Prisoner of War Medal, the Korean
Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense
Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic
of Korea War Service Medal.
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Researcher and Designer
Joy Locke & Joe Irons
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