Veteran Spotlight
by Richard D. L. Fulton
Sgt. Roy C. Delauter
Lost and Found in Korea
Roy C. Delauter was born in Maryland on April 22, 1929, to parents, Roy W. Delauter and Grace Rae Delauter, and spent his entire life residing in Washington County. At the time of his death, his hometown was given as Smithsburg.
Roy “Buddy” Delauter was one of six siblings, which included Grace Jane Delauter Kline, Boyd David Delauter, Margaret Rose Delauter Carr, Dickie Daniel Delauter, and Evelyn Rae Delauter Eccard.
Delauter attended Smithsburg High School, and subsequently married Shirley V. Brown of Smithsburg. The couple had two daughters, Majorie Sharlene and Sue Royalle.
Before entering the Army in August 1948, Delauter was employed at Bandt’s Cabinet Works in Hagerstown.
The (Hagerstown) Morning Herald reported on July 23, 1949, that Private Delauter was presently undergoing advanced training in Hachinohe, Japan, with his unit, the 7th Infantry Division, 32nd Infantry Regiment, D Company, after having completed his initial training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
In 1950, he was promoted to private first class. While stationed in Japan, he served with the second gunner with the mortar platoon of D Company.
Following his training in Japan, the 7th Infantry Division, 32nd Infantry Regiment, D Company was dispatched to Korea, where, according to the April 28, 2022, issue of The (Dundalk) Avenue News, the unit was posted on the east side of Choein Reservoir on November 27, 1950.
The Avenue News reported that the “Chinese Communist Forces launched a large-scale surprise attack against U.S. forces at the reservoir.” The enemy forced the 32nd Infantry Regiment, along with Delauter, to withdraw to Hagaruri, where other American units were positioned.
Delauter was officially reported missing in action on December 10. His death was listed in official records as having occurred on December 2, 1950. According to the January 17, 1951, edition of The (Hagerstown) Morning Herald, Delauter was serving as a cook in a headquarters unit when the unit was ambushed by “Chinese communists.”
A member of Delauter’s unit stated that he had “witnessed Buddy’s death near the Chosin Reservoir on December 1,” according to legacy.com, as his unit withdrew under intense fire from the enemy.
Apparently, during the fighting withdrawal of the 32nd Infantry Regiment, Delauter had been left for dead on the battlefield, when in fact, he was still alive; although, he had likely been mortally wounded.
Official records regarding “U.S., Korean War Casualties 1950-1957” recorded that Delauter had been captured by the Chinese forces and subsequently passed away, while being “interred” as a POW on December 2, the day after his capture.
On July 27, 2018, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea returned the remains of 55 boxes of unidentified U.S. Soldiers,” following the summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un in June 2018,” according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
Among the 55 boxes of remains, one set was identified through DNA as having been the remains of Delauter. His body was returned to his hometown on April 19, 2022, via Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, more than 70 years after his death in Korea.
His sister, Margaret Carr, reportedly told The Avenue News, “This is a homecoming for him. But he’s been home for a long time. He’s been in heaven.”
Delauter was interred on April 22, 2022, at the Cedar Lawn Memorial Park, near Hagerstown, following a funeral service at Willow Brook Seventh-Day Adventist Church, near Boonsboro.
Delauter’s military awards included the Purple Heart, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation, and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.
His name also remains among the names of the Korean MIA on the memorial table in Honolulu, along with a rosette next to his name, indicating that among the MIAs listed, his body had been found.
