Remember...
Paul Mitchem
1930-1950
"Our soldiers fought in the Korean War to push back communism. As a result of their effort and the effort of our allies, South Korea is free today."
Pierre Poilievre
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Remember...Paul Mitchem
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Paul Mitchem was born in Avondale, McDowell County, West Virginia, on October 27, 1930, to Stella Rose Mitchem and John Henry Mitchem. According to the 1940 Federal Census, the Mitchems were living in Sandy River, McDowell County, at the time of the census-taking. John Henry was 53 at the time, while Stella was 32. Paul was a "middle child," his older siblings at the time being Pauline, Josephine, Woodrow, Catherine, and George. His younger siblings were Teddie, Frank, Donald, and Gene.
While Paul would have attended McDowell County schools, little could be found about his early life. What is known is that he entered service on October 27, 1948, and remained on active duty until the time of his death. It seems a fair assumption that he graduated from high school in 1948. When his father applied for a West Virginia Korean War Bonus as a surviving relative, he stated that from October 27, 1948, through February 6, 1949, Paul was on active duty in domestic service. From February 7, 1949, through December 31, 1953, Paul was in foreign service. While December 31, 1953, is the date of record, the actual date of death was July 7, 1950. Paul's service occupation was light weapons infantryman.
In the press release from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA),
In July 1950, Mitchem was a member of Company K, 3rd Battalion, 34th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on July 7 after his unit sustained heavy casualties while defending against the North Korean army's advance near Ch'onan, South Korea. His body was not recovered because his unit was forced to retreat, nor were any remains found that could be identified as Mitchem. The Army issued a presumptive finding of death in December 1953, and he was declared non-recoverable in January 1956.Shortly after recapturing territory around Ch'onan, remains were recovered in October 1950 and designated X-22 Taejon. X-22 was unable to be identified by American Graves Registration Service and was determined unidentifiable in August 1954. The remains were later transported with all of the unidentified Korean War remains and buried as Unknowns at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu, Hawaii.
In June 2019 during Phase 2 of the Korean War Disinterment Project, X-22 was disinterred from the Punchbowl as part of the planned exhumation of all 53 burials originating from the United Nations Military Cemetery Taejon, and transferred to the DPAA Laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii for analysis.
To identify Mitchem's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis. ("Soldier Accounted For from Korean War [Mitchem, P.]," Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency website, accessed 22 April 2022, https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/News-Releases/PressReleaseArticleView/Article/2505814/soldier-accounted-for-from-korean-war-mitchem-p/.)
According to his personnel profile from the DPAA,
On February 11, 2021, the DPAA identified the remains of Corporal Paul Mitchem, missing from the Korean War.Cpl. Mitchem entered the U.S. Army from West Virginia and was member of Company K, 3rd Battalion, 34th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. On July 7, 1950, he was reported as missing in action following combat against the Korean People's Army near Ch'onan Republic of Korea (R.O.K.). Due to lack of witnesses, the exact circumstances of his loss are unknown. Cpl. Mitchem was not seen or heard from again, and he was issued a presumptive finding of death on December 31, 1953. In October 1950, two sets of unknown remains were recovered and interred at the temporary military cemetery at Taejon, R.O.K. Although the recovery location was not recorded, one of the remains was associated with another member of Company K, 3rd Battalion, 34th Infantry Regiment. The second set of remains were accessioned into the DPAA laboratory, where they were eventually identified as those of Cpl. Mitchem.
Cpl. Mitchem is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. ("Personnel Profile: Service Member: CPL Paul Mitchem," Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency website, accessed 22 April 2022, https://dpaa-mil.sites.crmforce.mil/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt000000ljWHvEAM.) A rosette will be placed by his name to indicate that his remains have been found.
Cpl. Mitchem's death would have occurred during the earliest fighting of the Korean War. One source provides the following time perspective:
On 25 June 1950, 10 divisions of the North Korean People's Army (KPA) launched an attack into the Republic of Korea in the south. The North Koreans overwhelmed the Republic of Korea Army (ROK) and advanced south, preparing to conquer the entire nation. The UN ordered an intervention to prevent the conquest of South Korea. U.S. President Harry S. Truman ordered ground forces into South Korea. The 24th Infantry Division was closest to Korea, and it was the first US division to respond. The 24th Division's first mission was to "take the initial shock" of the North Korean assault, then try to slow its advance until more US divisions could arrive. ("24th Infantry Division [United States]," Wikipedia, last edited 5 April 2022, accessed 22 April 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/24th_Infantry_Division_(United_States).)
A Purple Heart recipient, Cpl. Mitchem is memorialized at the National Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu (the Punchbowl), on the West Virginia Veterans Memorial, and at the Korean War Memorial in Washington, DC. His remains were reinterred at Arlington National Cemetery in September of 2022, according to press releases at the time of this writing.
Article prepared by Patricia Richards McClure
September 2022
West Virginia Archives and History welcomes any additional information that can be provided about these veterans, including photographs, family names, letters and other relevant personal history.