Death on Triangle Hill: Korean War MIA/KIA PH group

[Geoff]

I recently found this small, named group in a shop in Dayton, OH. The Purple Heart is engraved with the name of Arthur F. Loftus – a Korean War MIA/KIA who served with K Company, 31^st Infantry Regiment, 7^th Infantry Division in 1951-1952. He was lost on October 26, 1952.

 

Arthur Francis Loftus was welcomed into the world on May 21, 1928, in the village of Greece, New York, a suburb of Rochester. His parents were Joe and Theresa, both naturalized Canadian immigrants. Arthur was the second of four sons to be born to his parents. His father Joe worked in the film division of the Eastman Kodak Company (the former Monroe Camera Company before being absorbed by Kodak), and by 1930 he owned the family home at 97 Sparling Drive.

 

In the 1940 US Census (taken in April), the Loftus family still lived at the same address, and Arthur’s father Joe remained an employee at the film division of Eastman Kodak. However, there is a Social Security death claim just two months after the census that indicates that Joe died suddenly on June 19^th, 1940, leaving his wife Theresa a widow with four young sons to raise alone.

 

 

A photo of the grouping I bought, and a recent photo of the former Loftus home at 97 Sparling Drive, Rochester, NY as seen on Google Map’s street view.

 

 

 

[Geoff]

According to Army enlistment documents found on Ancestry.com Arthur F. enlisted in the U.S. Army on January 11, 1951, shortly after the desperate Chosin Reservoir fighting in Korea. After Arthur completed stateside training he was sent to Korea and assigned to Company K of the 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. Most of the 31st Regiment had been trapped at the Chosin Reservoir along with the 1^st Marine Division and was decimated as it battled through the overwhelming enemy Chinese forces to UN-controlled territory. Arthur was one of the replacements tapped to rebuild the shattered 31^st Regiment.

 

 

Two photos of Arthur Loftus. The poor black and white image came from the Korean War website (www.koreanwar.org). The other laminated and yellowed photo came as part of the medal group. Arthur evidently sent this photo home to his family. He added a note on the back, just in case his family didn’t recognize him!

 

 

[Geoff]

On October 14, 1952 the United States launched “Operation Showdown” in an attempt to seize a prominent ridge and associated hills called Triangle Ridge from the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army along the Main Line of Resistance (MLR). The dominant hill on this ridge was named Triangle Hill, although some American GI’s at the front referred to it as “Papasan”. To the left was a lower elevation called “Pike’s Peak”, and to the right was another peak called “Jane Russell Hill” and a ridge called “Sniper Ridge”. The plan called for the 3rd Battalion of the 31st Regiment (with K Company) to attack the left flank of Triangle Hill and Pike’s Peak. The 1st Battalion of the 31st Regiment would assault the right flank of Triangle Hill and Jane Russell Hill, while the 2^nd ROK Division would attempt to seize Sniper Ridge.

 

What was planned to be a minor five day operation with minimal casualties turned into the bloodiest battle of 1952; forty-one days of fierce, often hand-to-hand combat. Two Medals of Honor and seven Distinguished Service Crosses would be awarded to men of the 31^st Regiment for this operation.

 

 

[Geoff]

Arthur Loftus’ K Company was part of the initial October 14^th assault up Triangle Hill. They took numerous casualties from Chinese machine guns, mortars, and grenades, and were stopped short of the hill’s crest. K Company suffered nine KIA/MIA that day, including 1^st Lt Myrth Jimmie Killingsworth of Walnut Grove, SC, and Sgt Ken Parker of Springport, MI. Parker was a 101^st Airborne Division veteran of WW2.

 

 

Over the next week K Company was rotated in and out of the line and suffered another eight KIA/MIA as the see-saw struggle for Triangle Hill continued. Half of the company’s KIAs were officers or sergeants.

 

A photo of Chinese soldiers in action that I found on the web, purported to have been taken during the fighting for Triangle Hill.

 

 

[Geoff]

I’ve yet to find a first-hand account of what happened to K Company on October 26, 1952. One source – a five volume study of the US Army in the Korean War – even suggests that the 2^nd ROK Division replaced the US 7^th Division on Triangle Hill on October 25, and that the 7^th Division played no further part in Operation Showdown (p. 316). However, from the casualties suffered by K Company the very next day (Oct 26) on Triangle Hill, this is clearly wrong.

 

Absent any first-hand accounts or authoritative documents at the moment, this is what I believe happened instead. Elements of the 2^nd and 3^rd Battalions of the 32^nd Regiment, 7^th Division, were on line on Triangle Hill and Pike’s Peak. They’d suffered a number of casualties over the previous several days as the Chinese attacked repeatedly, determined to drive the Americans off the hills. Though the 2^nd ROK Division was slated to move up and take over for the US 7^th Division on October 25, for some reason the Koreans did not do so. Instead, it seems certain that Arthur Loftus’ K Company, 31^st Regiment was again sent forward up the slope of Triangle Hill to relieve the exhausted 32^nd Regiment GIs manning the forward positions near the enemy-held crest.

 

 

[Geoff]

This is my take of what happened to K Company on October 26, 1952, based on the KIA/MIA casualties they suffered that day.

Sporadic mortar and artillery rounds struck the slope of Triangle Hill, keeping the weary men of K Company and their Korean KATUSA volunteers hunkered down in trenches and fighting holes near the crest of the hill. It was a tenuous position with the Americans hanging on to the shell-blasted rocks, trenches, and fox holes on the hillside’s surface. At the same time battered units of the Chinese Communist 45th Division were dug in underneath the crest of the hill in a warren of tunnels, bunkers, and caves. And they had been reinforced by fresh troops from two new divisions.

 

 

Food and water were in short supply in K Company due to enemy rocket and artillery fire that interrupted the company’s supply routes to the rear. Rumor had it that the hungry, thirsty, and tired soldiers were due to be relieved by elements of the 2nd ROK Division that day, and after 11 days of brutal combat for that damned hill they were ready to leave it behind.

 

 

The stench from the piles of enemy dead heaped in front of the company’s forward positions made even battle-hardened veterans gag. And yet, though another Chinese attack was likely, some of the GI’s still loosened the fastenings of their heavy body armor vests. The armor vests were new – the 31st was the first Army regiment in Korea to receive the new body armor. Some men were happy to have them, but others complained that they were bulky and uncomfortable to wear.

 

 

A photo of 31st Regiment medics tending wounded during the fighting on Triangle Hill in October, 1952. You can clearly see the new flak jackets/armor vests being worn by the 31^st Regiment men.

 

 

[Geoff]

Bugles suddenly blared on the crest of the hill, and K Company heard the shrill tweets of whistles. Several hundred figures in drab quilted coats and fur caps rose out of the ground and swarmed toward K Company’s positions. Someone cried out “we’re under attack!” as the .30 caliber machine guns posted on the flanks of the company opened up on the enemy with rapid, hammering beats. Browning Automatic Rifles (BARs) posted along the line quickly added their booming bursts to the din. The automatic weapons fire flailed the attackers in a hail of bullets, tumbling dozens of Chinese soldiers to the ground, but hundreds more streamed downhill like a surging flood.

 

Enemy light machine guns began sweeping K Company’s positions, and the GIs responded with M1 rifle fire that ripped into the charging enemy. Chinese soldiers fell in droves in front of K Company’s line, but more rushed forward past the torn bodies of their fallen comrades, hurling a flurry of stick grenades as they closed in. Explosions rocked the American positions, followed by several cries of “Medic!” that rang out over the clamor of the battle. Enemy soldiers triggered staccato bursts from Soviet PPSh type submachine guns as they swept into the forward fighting positions of K Company. The fighting became hand-to-hand and it soon became clear that the Chinese were overwhelming the understrength American company with their numbers. The GIs fell back down the slope, dragging their wounded along in a stubborn, fighting retreat. The Communist attack petered out as the decimated Chinese dropped into K Company’s abandoned positions, content to consolidate their hold on the bitterly contested hill.

 

 

[Geoff]

At the bottom of Triangle Hill the men of K Company dropped to the ground, dead weary and panting for breath from their desperate fight. Several soldiers shook as the adrenaline rush of fighting for their lives wore off. As the company regrouped and tended their wounded they discovered that fourteen of their number and several KATUSAs were missing. The fourteen missing Americans were: Platoon Sergeant Joe Capehart of Bonham, TX; Corporals Thomas Truitt of High Springs, FL; Charles Coffman of Liberty, KY; Guy Hanford of Jersey Shore, PA; Omer Roberts Jr of Quinton, OK; Russell Schanck of Big Creek Township, MI; and George Semetges of Chicago, IL; PFCs Arthur Loftus of Greece/Rochester, NY; J. D. Martin of Greenwood, MS; Edmund Miller Jr of Brighton, NY; Walter Schaekel of Jackson, IN; and Hallie Wilson JR of Pender County, NC; and Privates Pedro Delgado-Nievas of Loiza, Puerto Rico; and Rafael Laboy-Martinez of Santurce, Puerto Rico.

 

The after-action and casualty reports were forwarded to regiment HQ, and the notification process to next of kin began. Several days later in Rochester, NY, Theresa Loftus answered a knock at her door, only to be handed the dreaded Western Union telegram stating that her son Arthur was Missing in Action.

 

 

[Geoff]

October turned into November and the bloody operation for Triangle Ridge continued. Units of the 2^nd ROK Division retook K Company’s positions near the crest of Triangle Hill from the Chinese and discovered the bodies of ten of K Company’s MIA’s from the fight on October 26. The remains were brought off the hill and returned to American control, and over the next several weeks and months they were painstakingly examined and identified. Early in 1953 Mrs. Loftus received a notification from the Defense Department with the regretful news that her son’s status had been changed to killed in action, and arrangements were made to return his recovered remains to New York. On a cool and overcast July 8, 1953, Arthur F. Loftus was buried in the Woodlawn National Cemetery at Elmira, NY with full military honors.

 

(Note on the four K Company MIAs not recovered: It’s believed that Corporal Russell Schanck, one of K Company’s BAR gunners, may have been captured alive by the Chinese. However, he was not repatriated at the end of the war and nothing was ever heard from him. He was declared “presumed dead” by the Defense Department on February 18, 1954. Corporal Hallie Wilson Jr was wounded and taken prisoner on October 26. He died in a Chinese POW camp on December 13, 1952, but his remains have never been returned. The final two missing men of K Company - Corporals George Semetges and Omer Roberts, remain listed as MIA and presumed dead from hostile action on October 26, 1952)

 

 

[Geoff]

Information about the Loftus family gets scarce after this. Evidently Mrs. Loftus was somewhat active in POW/MIA activities based on the POW/MIA ribbon in this group.

 

I’m proud to be the current caretaker of Arthur Loftus’ medal group, and to be able to tell his story.

 

Photos of the medals and a close-up of the engraving on the PH

 

 

[Geoff]

Another photo of the reverse of the two medals, and Arthur Loftus’ interment card detailing his burial at Woodlawn National Cemetery in Elmira, NY. Whoever filled in the information on the card mistakenly indicated Arthur’s enlistment date as Jan 11, 1952. However, his enlistment records shows his enlistment date as Jan 11, 1951

 

[Geoff]

A close-up of the POW/MIA ceremony ribbon that came with the group.

 

 

[swabbie]

Geoff,

You've done a great job of obtaining the research and for your striking account of what might (and from your description probably did) happen. Well done!

[aerialbridge]

Geoff,

Great job of research, writing, scans and putting it all together. Your riveting account of what Loftus and his brothers faced on that last day personalizes the two medals and perpetuates the memory of those men of K Company more than 60 years ago. Thanks for sharing this Korean War Purple Heart and the history behind it.

[Geoff]

Well, Geoff Gentilini at Golden Arrow Research has come through with more information on Arthur Loftus. Geoff sent me copies of K Company's EM roster for October 1952, morning reports from October 12 thru Nov 5, 1952, and Loftus' IDPF file concerning his death.

 

I've been very surprised at the mixed usefulness of the company morning reports. Numbers of officers and EM and assigned KATUSA personnel present for duty each day were useful. However, the reports were filled with errors - such as mispelling the new company commander's name! Also, another officer was reported as KIA on October 15, then reported as coming into the company as a new assigned replacement on Oct 20! Casualty reports were sometimes made days or weeks after the casualties occurred, so it was difficult to follow when the company was heavily engaged and when it was off line by these daily reports. On the bright side - one of my goals was to identify the company officers who were present on October 26 - the day that Loftus and 13 fellow soldiers were lost in action. I was able to achieve that by sifting several times through the morning reports, and I was later very surprised by what I subsequently discovered about Loftus' company commander!

 

Arthur Loftus' eighty-two page IDPF file provided the most information regarding his case. It confirmed that Arthur's mother was notified by Western Union telegram on November 8 that her son was MIA. (The company's MIA/KIA casualty report for the action on Oct 26 was attached to the morning report of Nov 5 - 10 days after the action!), The army then sent Mrs. Loftus a follow-on letter to the telegram on November 10.

 

Below: first: The Army Battle Casualty report form dated Nov 8, 1952 that initiated the first Western Union telegram to Mrs. Loftus

second: the Army's follow-up letter to Mrs Loftus dated Nov 10, 1952.

[Geoff]

The initial casualty report concerning Arthur Loftus (and presumably the other MIA/KIA's from October 26) was made on Nov 4 - nine days after the engagement. The report stated that "EM (Loftus) was last seen in the vicinity of King Company outpost when over-run by the enemy. Location and grid coordinates: Surang-ni, NK, CT 493 394" (Surang-ni was the nearest small village to the position. The village was subsequently destroyed and now the area is located along the DMZ between North and South Korea.)

 

The company commander added a statement that "Reason for delay is that since the beginning of the recent operation, 14 Oct 52 this unit has received may replacements who have had to be integrated into Co's and platoons while they were actively engaged with the enemy. In addition, it has been necessary to move and commit units so small as squads and in some cases individuals as much as 5 miles in darkness making it extremely difficult to take an accurate muster especially with great losses suffered in officers and key enlisted personnel."

 

Company Commander, Captain Melvin Garten

witnessed: Robert D. Eagan, PFC, 55 157 994

 

below: Initial casualty report of loss and statement by Loftus' company commander

[Geoff]

I decided to research Loftus' company commander, Captain Melvin Garten, and was surprised by what I discovered.

 

Melvin Garten was born in Brooklyn, NY on May 21, 1921. He was the grandson of Jewish Russian immigrants. He was born blind in his right eye. He volunteered for the Marines after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, but was refused because of his blindness. Determined to serve, he memorized the eye chart and then volunteered for the Army in May 1942. He passed the eye exam and was sworn in as an EM.on May 4, 1942. Melvin was a college graduate, so after finishing basic training he was selected for Officer Candidate School. He passed and was sworn in as a 2nd Lt, Infantry, Regular Army, in early 1943. He volunteered for jump school and after receiving his wings he was sent to the Pacific Theater with the Eleventh Airborne Division. He saw action in New Guinea, Okinawa, Leyte and Luzon, and made the famous paratrooper raid on Los Banos prison camp to liberate the military and civilian POWs held there. At the end of World War 2 Garten had been promoted to 1st Lt and was the recipient of a Silver Star medal, two Bronze Stars, two Purple Hearts, and two Air Medals, along with the CIB and jump wings with 3 combat stars.

 

Garten decided to make the Army his career. He reported to K Company, 31st Infantry Regt, 7th Infantry Division (Loftus' unit) on October 20, 1952 - four days after Operation Showdown began. On October 30 (four days after Loftus' death), Companies F and G of his battalion were over-run by an enemy attack. Garten led a counter-attack and personally rescued eight survivors of the over-run units and led the effort to recapture the American position. He was nominated for the Medal of Honor by both his regimental and division commander, but was subsequently awarded the Distinguished Service Cross rather than the MOH.

 

Garten served in combat again in Vietnam until a Viet Cong booby trap blew off his right leg. He fought to remain in the Army even after the loss of his leg, and his last position was base commander of Fort Bragg. When Colonel Garten retired he was the most decorated Colonel in the United States Army, with the DSC, three Silver Stars, four Bronze Stars, five Purple Hearts, the Legion of Merit, two Joint Commendation Medals, and two Air Medals. He was one of only 320 men who wore the CIB with two stars, signifying infantry combat service in three separate wars.

 

Melvin Garten died at his home in Lake Otswego, Oregon on May 2, 2015 at the age of 93.

 

below: wedding photo of Melvin Garten and his new bride Ruth in 1942 while Garten was still an enlisted man.

Later photo of Colonel Garten at the end of his distinguished career.

[Geoff]

Back to Arthur Loftus' story. On March 8, 1953, a patrol from the 15th Infantry Regiment discovered a hand sticking out of the ground at the site of a caved-in bunker at Outpost Harry. Evidently this area was not under US control at the time, but was between American and Chinese lines and subject to periodic patrols. The Lt in charge of the patrol believed the casualty to be an American soldier, and reported his findings to his company CO when the patrol returned. His CO authorized a search and recovery mission back to the site, and the subsequent search of the collapsed bunker found the remains of Arthur Loftus and two of his fellow MIAs - private Edmund Miller and PFC (posthumously promted to Coporal) Guy Hanford.

 

Below:

the initial report of finding a hand sticking out of the ground at a bunker site and subsequent recovery

the identification of the three bodies found in the collapsed bunker.

[Geoff]

Loftus was found to have suffocated when the bunker collapsed from a direct hit by Chinese artillery. However, his autopsy also noted that his left leg was broken, his lower jaw was broken in two places, and his maxilia - the bone structure above his upper teeth, was also fractured in two places. His body was also riddled with shrapnel.

 

He was identified by his dog tags, and by laundry marks on his clothing and web gear. He also had four letters from home with his name, plus other personal effects found on his body.

 

below: report of the autopsy and review of the personal effects found on him:

[Geoff]

Below: Army Grid map detailing where Loftus' remains were discovered. The "X" shows the location of the collapsed bunker and Search and Recovery mission on Outpost Harry.

 

The center dot shows Hill 381. Three months later - in June 1953, Outpost Harry and Hill 381 were the site of a fierce battle.

 

The lower cross-hatch shows the site of the small village that existed then

 

 

[Geoff]

After Loftus' remains were positively identified, his mother received a second telegram from the Army informing her that her son's remains had been recovered and her son was killed in action - at that time the date of the event was still unknown. The Army then sent a follow-up letter. Below is a copy of the follow-up letter dated May 7, 1953.

 

 

[Geoff]

The rest of Loftus' IDPF file concerns forwarding his recovered personal effects back the family, and making arrangements to return his body for burial in NY. As I mentioned in an earlier post, four of the 14 men who were lost with Arthur Loftus on October 26, 1952, are still missing/unrecovered to this day.

[katieony]

A very nice tribute. Thank you for sharing his story.

[Dave]

Very impressive research and write-up! A real tribute to this brave man and his fellow soldiers!

[AustinO]

Here's a slightly cleaner version of the newspaper photo you have in your first post. The article is from the Rochester Democrat, Nov 20 1952 page 24.

 

 

Very well researched, thanks for sharing his story.