Harry Joseph Laurence – Sergeant, United States Army

Harry Joseph Laurence
Cuyahoga, Ohio
Born 1924
Sergeant, U.S. Army
Service Number 13275188
Missing in Action – Presumed Dead
Died December 12, 1950 in Korea

Sergeant Laurence was a member of Company L, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was listed as Missing in Action while fighting the enemy in North Korea on December 12, 1950. He was presumed dead on December 31, 1953.

Sergeant Laurence was awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and the Korean War Service Medal.

 The remains of a missing U.S. soldier killed in the Korean War near the Chosin Resevoir in North Korea have been identified, the military said Wednesday.

The remains of Army Sergeant Harry J. Laurence of Cleveland are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors April 9, 2008, in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, the Defense Department said.

Laurence was a member of the 7th Infantry Division’s L Company, 31st Infantry Regiment, which fought overwhelming Chinese forces near the Chosin Reservoir from November 27-December 11, 1950, before retreating south. Laurence was one of many soldiers reported missing in action.

His remains were among those of 11 U.S. servicemen found during 2001 excavations of a mass grave. So far, three have been identified, including Laurence, the Defense Department said.

Michael Robert Patterson

Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.

Reviewed by: Michael Howard