Joseph Schaefer

31Jul1933- 26Mar1953

Edison Days

Joseph attended Edison in 1949 and 1950. It appears that he could have been mischievious. He left school before graduating to join the United States Marine Corps

Military Service

Rank: Sergeant

Branch: United States Marine Corps

Unit: C Company – 1st Battalion – 5th Marine Regiment – 1st Marine Division

Joseph enlisted in the Marine Corps at 17 years old with his twin brother Gerald. They left for boot camp in San Diego, California on 15July1950.

In late March 1953, elements of the 1st Marine Division manned a string of outposts along a 33-mile section of the main line of resistance on the Korean Peninsula, near the present-day Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The 1st Marine Division’s 5th Marine Regiment was responsible for three of these outposts, named Carson, Reno, and Vegas, or collectively “the Nevada Cities Complex.” On March 26, Chinese Communist Forces attacked all three outposts. Although Carson managed to stave off the assault, Reno and Vegas, which were more lightly manned, eventually succumbed to the enemy. Over 1,000 Marines were killed, wounded, or went missing during the attack on the Nevada Cities Complex. Joseph was originally listed as missing in action.

Joseph was killed in action at the Nevada Cities Complex during that battle. His body was not recovered at the time of his loss. Joseph was not identified among remains returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire, and he is still unaccounted-for.

Joseph’s name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial in Hawaii.

Joseph’s name is also inscribed on the Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC.