Louis E. Hillis left the United States headed for Korea. HisInfantry Company of 108 men arrived in Korea to fight the war. Only 9 of
them returned. Hillis was taken prisoner. During his capture he lost 63
pounds. He said they would move their position often. During these moves
if an American soldier got so weak that he would fall along the trail, the
North Koreans would just shot him. They even went on death marches where
a lot of American soldiers died. He said the captured American soldiers
had to bury the dead American
soldiers. Louis said that his most horrible experience was the day he had
to bury 19 dead American soldiers in one large trench. When you see Louis
Hillis shake his hand and thank him for his service and sacrifices for
this great nation.
Today! Yes today, there are still over 87,000 military men and women
missing and still unaccounted for. Over 7000 from World War I, over
70,000 from World War II, 8000 from the Korean War, 2000 from the
Vietnam War, 169 from the Cold War, and 6 from the
Iran/Iraq/Afghanistan Wars. These are our young men and women who never
returned home. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a symbol of honor and
memory of the soldiers who died and could not be
identified.
