This Memorial Day, Soldiers Memorial Military Museum is honoring St. Louisans who made the ultimate sacrifice in the Korean War.Â
James Isaac Walker (b. 12/24/1929; d. 7/31/1951)
James Isaac Walker grew up as one of 14 children and lived near the old Mill Creek railroad tracks in South St. Louis.
His parents, Walter and Jennie Walker, left Kentucky in 1917, joining one of the first waves of the Great Migration of Black families leaving the South. They arrived only a few months before refugees escaping the East St. Louis Race Riot poured into St. Louis.
James and his twin brother, John, were born during the Great Depression. Throughout the financial crisis, their father’s meager laborer salary was the only thing keeping the family of 16 afloat. The Walkers sent their children to Vashon High School, one of only two high schools in the city that Black students were allowed to attend. James started high school at the tail end of World War II. Too young to serve, he watched as friends, neighbors and his eldest brother, Walter Jr., were shipped off to war.
In August 1950, not long after he graduated, James enlisted in the U.S. Army, eventually rising to the rank of private first class. He soon was deployed to Korea with the 9th Infantry Regiment’s Company K. John joined the Army as well and served stateside. Two of his other brothers also served in Korea: his eldest brother, Pfc. Walter Jr., and Elbert, who ended his Army career as a corporal.
In February 1951, James’ regiment was sent to the region just north of the South Korean city of Wonju. On the 6th, the regiment ran into a Chinese scouting party. This kicked off six days of battle. By the morning of Feb. 12, the Americans and their allies had declared victory. They had captured a handful of strategic hills from the Chinese. Several U.N. units were reassigned to take on other targets. James Walker’s Company K was one of the few left behind to hold the position north of Hoengsong.
Everything changed when night fell. Out of nowhere, Chinese forces broke through the lines, isolating Company K from their Korean allies. With no backup, they stood no chance. Company K was nearly wiped out. James Isaac Walker went missing.
It took about a month and a half for news of James’ status to reach his family back in St. Louis. After that, the Walkers did not hear a word about James for what must have been two agonizing years. In August 1953, they were notified that James’ name had been found on a North Korean list of deceased prisoners of war. The Walkers prayed that James’ name had somehow been written down by mistake. Unfortunately, his fate was all too real. He was only 21 years old.
This Memorial Day, Soldiers Memorial Military Museum is honoring St. Louisans who made the ultimate sacrifice in the Korean War. The ceremony, which includes the reading of the names of 158 of these local heroes, begins at 11 a.m., followed by a performance by the U.S. Air Force Band of Mid-America’s Midwest Winds Ensemble.
