World War II Honoree

James K. Park

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Beaumont, Texas

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

Rank: Sergeant. On March 8, 1943, he was inducted into the United States Army at Houston, Texas. Served as a Squad Leader with the First Infantry ‘Big Red One’ Division in the European Theater of Operations, assigned to India Company, Third Battalion and Twenty-Sixth Infantry Regiment. His division participated in the Battle of the Hurtgen Forest against the German Armed forces (Battle Dates: September 19-December 16, 1944). Reported missing in Action Thursday, November 23, 1944 during a combat engagement in the vicinity of Jüngersdorf Germany. His name is permanently inscribed in the tablets of the missing, memorialized at the American Cemetery in Margraten, Netherlands. Later his missing in action status was amended to read killed in action November 24, 1945. After the cessation of hostilities in Europe, a Quartermaster Graves Registration Company, Quartermaster Corps conducted recovery operations and his remains were not recovered. A German resident in November of 1948 discovered some remains in the woods of the Hürtgen Forest near Langerwehe, Germany, and notified the American Graves Command personnel of the findings. The remains could not be positively identified, and were interred as an unknown in the Ardennes American Cemetery Neupre, Belgium. In June of 2017, a team from the Defense Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Agency disinterred the unknown. The remains were transferred to the Agency laboratory at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska were he was identified. The remains of this Soldier were interred with Military Honors, October 27, 2018 at the Dresden Cemetery in Dresden, Texas. He received the following decorations posthumously: Bronze Star with one Oak Leaf Cluster and the Purple Heart. The Bronze Star, awarded for Bravery, Act of Merit and Meritorious Service in Combat. This American Patriot was awarded the Purple Heart, for his ultimate sacrifice in defense of his country.