Korean War Kia Purple Heart 24th Infantry Division

A somber Killed In Action Purple Heart from a member of the 19th Infantry Regiment of the 24th Infantry Division who was tragically killed on 16th July, 1950 at Taejon Korea during the Korean War. Beautifully cased and officially engraved purple heart is in excellent condition and comes with all of his research as seen in the photos. Korean War: On 25 June 1950, 10 divisions of the North Korean Korean People's Army (KPA) launched an attack into the Republic of Korea in the south. The North Koreans overwhelmed the Republic of Korea Army (ROKA) and advanced south, preparing to conquer the entire nation. The UN ordered an intervention to prevent the conquest of South Korea. U.S. President Harry S. Truman ordered ground forces into South Korea. The 24th Infantry Division was closest to Korea, and it was the first US division to respond. The 24th Division's first mission was to "take the initial shock" of the North Korean assault, then try to slow its advance until more US divisions could arrive. Task Force Smith: Five days later, on 30 June, a 406-man infantry force from 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, supported by a 134-man artillery battery (also from the 24th Infantry Division) was sent into South Korea. The force, nicknamed Task Force Smith for its commander, Lieutenant Colonel Charles Bradford Smith, was lightly armed and ordered to delay the advance of KPA forces while the rest of the 24th Infantry Division moved into South Korea. On 4 July, the task force set up in the hills north of Osan and prepared to block advancing KPA forces. The next day, they spotted an incoming column of troops from the KPA 105th Armored Division. The ensuing battle was a rout, as the Task Force's obsolescent anti-tank weapons and understrength units were no match for the KPA's T-34 tanks and full-strength formations. Within a few hours, the first battle between American and North Korean forces was lost. Task Force Smith suffered 20 killed and 130 wounded in action. Dozens of US soldiers were captured, and when US forces retook the area, some of the prisoners were discovered to have been executed. According to recently declassified documents the troops were captured and taken to Pyongyang where they are thought to have been murdered about three months later. Approximately 30 percent of Task Force Smith became casualties in the Battle of Osan. The task force delayed the KPA advance for only seven hours. Pusan Perimeter: The rest of the 24th Infantry Division arrived in South Korea, through the port of Pusan, followed by elements of the 1st Cavalry Division and 25th Infantry Division from the Eighth Army. As more soldiers arrived, the 24th Infantry Division was placed under the command of I Corps, Eighth Army. For the first month after the defeat of Task Force Smith, 24th Infantry Division soldiers were repeatedly defeated and pushed south by the KPA's superior numbers and equipment. 24th Infantry Division soldiers were pushed south at and around Chochiwon, Chonan, Pyongtaek, Hadong and Yechon. The division's 19th and 34th Regiments engaged the KPA 3rd and the 4th Infantry Divisions at the Kum River between 13 and 16 July and suffered 650 casualties of the 3,401 men committed there. On 19 and 20 July, the KPA divisions attacked the 24th Infantry Division's headquarters in Taejon and overran it in the Battle of Taejon. In the ensuing battle, 922 men of the 24th Infantry Division were killed and 228 were wounded of 3,933 committed there. Many soldiers were missing in action, including the division commander, Major General William F. Dean, who was captured and later awarded the Medal of Honor. On 1 August, the 24th Division's 19th Infantry Regiment engaged KPA forces and was again forced back, losing 90 killed. KPA officers at the battle claimed that some US soldiers were "too frightened to fight." However, the 24th Infantry Division managed to delay the advancing North Koreans for two days, long enough for significant numbers of UN forces to arrive in Pusan and begin establishing defenses further south. By the time the 24th Infantry Division retreated and reformed, the 1st Cavalry Division was in place behind it. The division suffered over 3,600 casualties in the 17 days it fought alone against the KPA 3rd and 4th Divisions. By 4 August, a perimeter was established around Pusan on the hills to the north of the city and the Naktong River to the west. The Eighth Army, including the 24th Infantry Division, was cornered by the surrounding KPA. UN forces were now concentrated, the 24th Division was at Naktong, with the 25th Infantry Division to the south, and the 1st Cavalry Division and ROK forces to the north. The 24th Division was also reinforced by the 2nd Infantry Division, newly arrived in the theater. The 24th was quickly sent to block the KPA 6th Infantry Division, which attempted to attack the UN forces from the southwest. On 8 August, the KPA 4th Infantry Division crossed the river and attempted to penetrate the perimete