Coming Home

  • Published
  • By Colonel Frank R. Kincaid
Sergeant First Class James Allen Coleman is finally home. Declared MIA on April 25, 1951 during the Korean War, he was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery on October 19, 2022. He was escorted home by his nephews, Col Frank Kincaid (USAF) and Col (ret) David Kincaid Jr. (USAF), and attended by his last surviving sibling, Mrs. Mary Kincaid-Chauncey. SFC Coleman is the recipient of the Silver Star, the Bronze Star with ‘V’ Device, and two Purple Hearts.

ANSWERING THE CALL

James Coleman was born on July 21, 1928, in Hillsdale, Indiana to Fay and Cora Coleman; and was the twelfth of fourteen children. He enlisted in the Army on September 25, 1946 and was assigned to the 7th Cavalry Regiment as a Rifleman during the occupation of Japan. Private First Class Coleman completed his enlistment and was Honorably discharged from the Army on January 20, 1948. He returned home to Clinton, Indiana and subsequently enlisted in the Army for a second term.

On June 25, 1950, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK or North Korea) surprised the world by invading South Korea (ROK). The United States government believed to defend democracy and protect free enterprise, they had to prevent the spread of communism by containing nations like the DPRK. To that effect, on June 30, 1950, US President Harry S. Truman authorized the deployment of US ground forces to defend the ROK.

The 34th Infantry Regiment of the 24th Infantry Division (24 ID) arrived in Korea on July 2, 1950. James Coleman, now a Corporal, was assigned to Able Company, 34 Infantry on August 2, 1950. Badly understrength and opposed by a battle-hardened enemy with superior numbers, the 24 ID pulled back to the Natkong River, where they dug in and defended the Puson Perimeter.

On August 9th, Corporal Coleman and two other soldiers became separated from their Company. They were subjected to small arms and artillery fire and as a result the two soldiers were wounded. Corporal Coleman succeeded in bringing them through the enemy lines to safety and then immediately returned to enemy territory and picked up two other wounded soldiers he discovered while enroute. For his heroic actions, Corporal Coleman was awarded the Bronze Star with ‘V’ Device.

US forces held the perimeter amidst fierce fighting for six weeks. Then, on September 15, 1950, a second US force landed at Inchon and shifted the momentum of the war. Corporal Coleman’s battalion, badly in need of rest and rebuilding after continuous combat, were transferred to the 19th Infantry Regiment. Corporal Coleman was assigned to “Item” Company, 3rd Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment. He was positioned as a Combat Infantry Squad Leader and promoted to Sergeant on January 10, 1951.

On February 4, 1951, Item Company held their position near Taesong-ni against four fanatical enemy frontal assaults. As his Company pulled back, Sgt Coleman went to the assistance of a badly wounded comrade. Under heavy enemy fire from automatic weapons positioned at points of advantage all along the route, Sgt Coleman used his own body as a shield as he carried the wounded soldier to safety across three miles of enemy-infested ground, at which point he was shot in the leg. Despite his wound, Sgt Coleman carried the soldier across another mile of enemy-held terrain until he reached friendly lines. For his gallantry in action, Sgt Coleman was awarded the Silver Star, and the Purple Heart.

By November 1950, the Chinese had entered the war, pushing American and UN forces back to roughly the 38th parallel, where fighting stalemated. Sgt Coleman’s unit was dug in on the high ground east of the Hantan River two miles northeast of Chipori, occupying the left flank of the battalion’s sector, when the Chinese launched their spring offensive on April 22, 1951,
Item Company held and repulsed the initial attack but King Company, adjacent to Sgt Coleman’s position, was overrun. At 0730 on April 23rd, 3rd Battalion was ordered to withdraw and broke contact. They pulled back during the day and Item Company set up a blocking position south of Chipori, two miles north of the 38th parallel. On April 24th, Item Company was committed to clear an enemy company that had broken through, and to help restore the Main Line of Resistance. By the evening of the 24th, Sgt Coleman repositioned his squad on the left flank of Item Company and dug in across 50 yards of ridgeline.

Shortly after dark on April 24th, the Chinese launched an attack with automatic weapons and mortars. The massive frontal assault forced American forces to drop friendly mortar and artillery fire directly on the line to fend of the attack. Fighting raged through the night. In the early morning hours of April 25th, Sgt Coleman was on the downhill side of a foxhole checking on his men when a 4.2mm mortar round landed short, striking near Sgt Coleman. At that point, Chinese forces broke through the line and the Regiment was ordered to withdraw or be encircled. Consequently, Sgt Coleman’s body was left behind.

A CENTURY OF SERVICE

It is no surprise SFC James Coleman joined the military. His father, Fay Coleman, served in the Army cavalry and was an ambulance driver during World War I. While in high school, James watched as his five older brothers enlisted to fight in World War II. The Coleman brothers served in the following manner during WW2:

Robert Coleman served in the Army Air Forces stationed in Italy and was an electrical specialist on A-26s.

Harry Coleman served in the Navy stationed in the South Pacific. He was a Motor Machinist Mate on a mine sweeper and several other ships. He was awarded the Purple Heart on of the several times his ships were sunk.

Richard Coleman served in the Army Air Forces in the South Pacific with 13 AF. He was a Special Technical Advisor on B-17s conducting observation missions throughout the Pacific.

Homer Coleman served in the Navy stationed in the Pacific. He was a Torpedoman’s Mate on several ships. He was a survivor of the USS Hull and a separate ship sinking from a Japanese torpedo.

Charles Coleman served in the Army Air Forces in Europe. He was a tail-gunner on B-26 Marauders and flew on D-Day. He was eventually based out of France and was shot down once.
James Coleman’s sisters, Thelma and Marie, also worked in a Defense Plant as machinists during WW2.

Against that backdrop, it seemed natural for James Coleman to serve. He enlisted on his 18th birthday and reenlisted after each commitment. His brother John, one year younger than James, also enlisted in the Army during the Korean War. And that legacy continues today.

“Military service is the cornerstone of our family,” said Col Frank Kincaid. “From our grandfather, uncles, and our father, we grew up with a strong sense of duty and service. Many of our family members have answered the call and served in all branches of the military over the past 100-plus years.”

Col Kincaid’s father, David Kincaid Sr. served in the Army during the Korean War. In 1955, he enlisted in the Air Force and served several tours in Vietnam as a mechanic and crew chief on fighter aircraft, retiring in 1975. His aunt, Patricia Kincaid, served in the Navy as a Flight Ground School Instructor 1951-1954. Col David Kincaid Jr. was the first officer in the family, graduating from the Air Force Academy in 1992. He retired after 28 years in the Air Force as a C-130 pilot, served in several command positions, and deployed to Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Col Frank Kincaid graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1994, commanded at several levels, deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, and continues to serve in the Air Force today.

THE JOURNEY HOME

Because his remains were not recovered, SFC James Coleman was declared Missing In Action. Based on eyewitness accounts of events from April 25, 1951, The Adjutant General issued a Report of Death for SFC Coleman and changed his status to Killed in Action. He had been promoted to SFC effective May 2, 1951. Since this was subsequent to his death, the Army determined the promotion was not effective. On October 3, 1952, in conjunction with being declared KIA, James Coleman was posthumously promoted to Sergeant First Class with an effective date of April 24, 1951 and awarded the Purple Heart. Despite these actions, US and UNC forces continued to search for his remains.

On May 18, 1953, a team from the 392nd Graves Registration Service Company recovered two sets of remains from the village of Tumun-gol, ROK. One set of remains, designated X-5960, could not be identified and was buried in the United Nations Military Cemetery Tanggok. After the end of fighting in 1953, unknown remains from Korea were transferred to the Central Identification Unit Kokura, Japan. They were unable to identify X-5960 due to limited identifying media. In 1956, X-5960 was buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific on Honolulu, knows as the Punchbowl, in Section U, Grave 609 as unknown.

In August 2018, DPAA proposed a phased plan to disinter 652 Korean War unknowns from the Punchbowl. In January 2019, DPAA disinterred X-5960 as part of Phase One. The remains were sent to the DPAA laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii for expert analysis.

A previous request to disinter X-5960 was made in 2017 by the family of another MIA from the same battalion, who believed it could match based on date and location associated with the remains. DPAA staff had compiled a shortlist of four potential servicemembers through historical research and anthropological analysis. SFC Coleman was included on a secondary list of possible candidates. To expand the available identifying media, DPAA requested and received DNA samples from SFC Coleman’s two surviving brothers, Richard and Homer, in 2017.

Using mitochondrial DNA analysis, scientific staff matched the DNA profile of X-5960 to SFC Coleman. Dental, anthropological, and chest radiograph analysis, plus circumstantial historical information, also plausibly identified SFC Coleman’s remains. DPAA’s identification efforts culminated on May 25, 2022, when they notified Mary Kincaid-Chauncey, SFC Coleman’s last surviving immediate relative.

“I was speechless. I had long ago made peace with the fact that Jimmy was dead, and we might not ever know what happened to him. But when I got that call, I realized that I cared a lot about what had happened to my brother, and I wanted to see him come home. I remember that my parents would sit in front of the radio for hours, listening to the roll call of servicemembers who had been killed and every time James’ name wasn’t called, it left them wondering. I saw the grief on their faces. It was amazing to me that the Army kept the promise they made to my family decades ago and cared enough to bring him home,” she said.

 

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