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Remember...Jack Leo Walker
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Jack Leo Walker was born November 30, 1932, in Nicholas County, West Virginia, the sixth of seven children born to Wesley and Myrtle Sparks Walker. Jack grew up in the small West Virginia town of Swiss and, according to his sister Kathleen Lacy his boyhood activities included swimming in the Gauley River near their home and playing sports, an activity he loved, with friends.
Jack attended Summersville High School but dropped out in May 1949 and joined the Army. He was only 16 but told Army officials he was born in 1931 instead of 32. He served stateside approximately nine months before the Army discovered his real age and sent him home with an honorable discharge. Jack re-enlisted a few months later and in May 1950 was stationed in Okinawa, Japan.
| Jack arrived in Korea on July 24, 1950, as a member of the 29th Infantry. They were sent to Chinju, located west of Pusan. The North Koreans had invaded the south in June and American troops were sent to that area. The last sighting of Jack Leo Walker was on July 31, 1950, during combat. He was reported missing and two years later was presumed dead. |  |
In 1987, South Koreans found his remains while moving a cemetery at Chinju City. His name tag was found along with other personal effects. A family friend read about this in the newspaper and notified a member of Jack's family. Thirty-seven years after his death, the body of Jack Leo Walker was returned to the United States. On November 14, 1987, he was reburied at Sunset Memorial Park in South Charleston.
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.
