Lest We Forget, May 27, 2024

Wayne Countian Vester Hicks, Jr. was the son of Vester Glenn Hicks and his wife Francis Irene. Born on December 2, 1932 (if you believe Ancestry.com) or December 20, 1932 (if you believe the United States Army), he found himself as a corporal in North Korea on November 27, 1950. It was on that day the Chinese Army surprised the United Nations forces with a horrific attack in what became known as the Battle of Chosin Reservoir—a battle regarded by some historians as the most brutal in American history due to the violence, casualty rate, weather conditions, and endurance. When the fighting ceased 4,385 U.S. Marines and 3,163 U.S. Army personnel had died in battle with another 7,338 dying of non-battle causes related to the weather conditions. Those who managed to survive became known as “The Chosin Few”.

For 17 days, the combined troops of the Army and Marines struggled to stop the advance of the Chinese, only to find their 30,000 men greatly outnumbered by the approximately 120,000 enemy troops that surrounded them. On December 1st, the 31st and 32nd Infantry Regiments (of which Hicks was a member) began to withdraw toward friendlier lines in Hagaru-ri, but Chinese roadblocks and constant enemy fire from the higher ground around them made their retreat almost impossible. On December 2nd, just before reaching safety, Hicks inexplicably went missing. For two long years his family waited, hoping against all odds that he had somehow survived and would be found, but on December 31, 1953, Vester Hicks, Jr.’s status was changed from Missing in Action to Presumed Dead. His remains were never recovered.