Korean War veteran to speak

The Lehigh Valley Veterans History Project Roundtable and the Korean/ Vietnam Memorial will meet at 7 p.m. Aug. 25 at Fellowship Community, Zentz Community Center, 3020 Fellowship Drive, Whitehall. The speaker will be David Mills, a Korean War Army veteran and POW.

Cpl. David Mills served in F Company, 2nd Battalion, 15th Infantry of the 3rd Infantry Division. He joined the Army on his 17th birthday. Upon arrival in South Korea, Mills was stationed at Outpost Harry. In April of 1953, Chinese troops nearly took Outpost Harry. A massive enemy artillery bombardment hammered the outpost. It was followed by a major Chinese assault in battalion strength, including two days of brutal handto-hand fighting. Mills was captured after being shot nine times; twice in the head, six times in the legs, and once in the arm. The only people he saw alive were the three Chinese soldiers who took him captive. He was initially listed as missing in action and then killed in action. His company suffered 72 casualties out of 88 men. Mills was a Chinese prisoner of war for four months before he was repatriated. He will share his experiences as a POW and his interrogation by the enemy, while receiving no medical treatment for any of his wounds. He served the remainder of his enlistment as a military policeman.

Mills never intended to return to Korea, but he did in 2012 and was absolutely stunned by the transformation that took place. Mills received a number of military decorations and he speaks throughout the United States as a military representative and an advocate for Korean War veterans.