Fred O'Neil Jordan

Sergeant Fred O'Neil Jordan was killed in action on October 14, 1951in North Korea during the Korean War.  He was 19 years old.

Fred O’Neil Jordan was born on April 13, 1932 in Granville County, North Carolina, the son of Clarence William Jordan and Florence Estelle Evans Jordan. The family moved to Henderson, North Carolina prior to his induction into the US Army.

Sergeant Fred O’Neil Jordan was a member of the 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. With the outbreak of hostilities in Korea on June 25, 1950, the 2nd Infantry Division was quickly alerted for movement to the Far East Command and assignment to the Eighth United States Army. The division arrived in Korea, via Pusan on July 23, becoming the first unit to reach Korea directly from the United States

Taking up the offensive in a two-prong attack in February 1951, the 2nd Division repulsed a powerful PVA counter-offensive in the epic battles of Chipyong-ni and Wonju. Sergeant Jordan was seriously wounded by the enemy in South Korea on May 18, 1951 and returned to duty on July 17, 1951.

In August 1951, the 2nd Division was on the offensive once again, ordered to attack a series of ridges held by the communist Korean Peoples Army (KPA) that had been designated threats to the Eighth Army's line. These actions would devolve into the battles of Bloody Ridge (August 18 – September 5) and Heartbreak Ridge (September 13 – October 15). During the initial phase of the Battle of Heartbreak Ridge, the 38th Infantry was held in divisional reserve.  It was ordered into action for Operation Touchdown which began with air bombardments on October 4.  The 38th was ordered to take Hill 485 and discovered that the KPA had abandoned the position.. By noon on October 6, the 1st Battalion had advanced from Hill 485 and seized Hill 728 against only light opposition. The 2nd Battalion deployed up the Mundung-ni Valley and attacked Hill 636, which fell on October 8. Possession of these two hills furnished cover for engineers who could now complete the tank trail for the 72nd Tank Battalion's advance. The 72nd was attached to the 38th on October 7. The regiment was given three new objectives: Hill 605, 2,000 yards north of Hill 636; the Hill 905-Hill 974 ridge which extended northwest from Hill 636 toward Hill 1220 on the Kim Il Sung range; and Hill 841, 1,000 yards north of Hill 974. The 3rd Battalion, 38th Infantry, took advantage of the tank advance to seize Hill 605, but the 2nd Battalion's attempts to capture Hill 905 were blunted on October 10. The next day, the 2nd Battalion overcame PVA/KPA opposition, and the 1st Battalion took Hill 900. On October 12, the 1st Battalion pushed on toward the Kim Il Sung range and captured Hill 974. The final objective of the 38th, Hill 1220, fell on  October 15.  Sergeant Jordan was wounded in the fighting on October13, 1951 and died of those wounds the following day.

Sergeant Fred O’Neil Jordan is buried in Sunset Memorial Garden Cemetery, Henderson, North Carolina. 

Last edited: 30 May 2026