Private First Class
United States Army Reserve
Chester E. Hills, the son of Albert J. and Ruby M. Knoll Hills, was born on 29 July 1931, in Burlington, Iowa. He was a member of Saint John’s Catholic Church.
He attended Burlington High School, however, he withdrew on 3 September 1946.
Chester enlisted in the United States Army on 29 July 1948, his 17th birthday. Upon completion of that tour of duty, Chester was discharged. However, he re-enlisted on 21 December 1949 for three years. He was sent to Japan in early 1950 and was among the first United States troops in Korea. There he was assigned to Alpha Company, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. The division took the brunt of the North Korean march toward Pusan, South Korea in the early stages of the war. Chester was Killed-In-Action on 16 July 1950, near Taejon, South Korea, 13 days before his 19th birthday. He was the first Burlington soldier to be Killed-In-Action during the Korean War.
Chester was survived by his parents; one sister, Sandra Lee; two brothers, Raymond J. and Richard; and grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. John Knoll.
On 8 June 1951, Chester’s remains arrived in Burlington, escorted by Sergeant Lloyd G. Duff. Services were held at Saint John’s Catholic Church on 13 June. Private First Class Chester E. Hills, United States Army, was buried in Burlington’s Memorial Park Cemetery. The Veterans of Foreign Wars provided the military honors.
Among his awards and decorations is the Purple Heart, Combat Infantryman's Badge, Korean Service Medal, United Nations Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, and Korean War Service Medal.
Source of information:
1. Des Moines County Iowa Veterans Buried with Markers, compiled by the Des Moines County Genealogical Society, 1984.
2. Korean War Project web site; http://www.koreanwar.org/html/korean_war_databases.html
3. National Archives, State-level Casualty Lists from the Korean War (1951-57) for the State of Iowa.
4. The Burlington Hawk-Eye Gazette, 8 June 1951, pages 2 and 12.
5. The Burlington Hawk-Eye Gazette, 12 June 1951, page 2.
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