Hometown: Newport, TN
Branch: U.S. Army
Unit: Company C, 1st Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division
Military Honors: Silver Star, Purple Heart
Date of Sacrifice: July 23, 1951 - KIA near Pongdangdong-ni, Korea
Age: 22
Conflict: Korean War, 1950-1953

Jesse Sprouse grew up in Newport, Tennessee, a small town of just under 4,000 residents located along the state’s eastern border, on the west side of the Great Smoky Mountains.

World War II came to an end in the summer of 1945, when Jesse was sixteen years old.

In the years that followed, the world’s democracies sought to contain the spread of Communism promoted by the expanding Soviet Union. With each side capable of destroying the other with nuclear missiles, the world stood on the brink of destruction with each new conflict.

After five years of “Cold War” tensions, war broke out on the Korean Peninsula on June 25, 1950, when the North Korean People’s Army (NKPA)—backed by Communist China and the Soviet Union, invaded South Korea.

Jesse Sprouse chose to serve his country, enlisting in the United States Army on November 13, 1950 at the age of 21.

He was assigned to the Army’s 1st Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division—which had already left Itazuke Air Base in Japan to fight the first ground battle involving American troops in the Korean War.

Eight months after joining the Army, on July 23, 1951, PFC Sprouse’s Company C was given the mission of taking high ground held by the enemy. His courageous actions on that day would earn him the Silver Star medal. His citation reads:

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously) to Private First Class Jesse Edward Sprouse (ASN: US-53032540), United States Army, for gallantry in action as a member of Company C, 1st Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, in action near Pongdangdong-ni, Korea, on 23 July 1951.

His company’s mission was to attack and secure a very high, steep-sided hill which was defended from well-prepared positions by a large enemy force. As the assault began, the forward elements were suddenly pinned down by heavy enemy small arms and machine gun fire.

He, with utter disregard for his own well-being, exposed himself to heavy fire while maneuvering into a position from which he could direct deadly fire on the enemy machine gun crew. He then attacked another enemy position, but was mortally wounded in the attempt. Private Sprouse’s courageous action and deep devotion to duty reflect the highest credit on himself and the United States Infantry.

A few weeks earlier, armistice talks had begun on July 10, 1951, in Kaesong, North Korea. A cease-fire wouldn’t be agreed upon for more than two years—on July 27, 1953.

Private First Class Jesse Edward Sprouse was returned to Tennessee and laid to rest in his hometown’s Union Cemetery. His Silver Star medal, awarded posthumously, was presented to his mother, Rosa Lee Sprouse, in February of 1952.

Sources
Story details contributed by Ms. Kathy Barnes, PFC Sprouse’s niece.
Artist’s impression: Craig Du Mez
East Tennessee Veterans Memorial Association: Jesse E. Sprouse
Military Times—Hall of Valor: Jesse Edward Sprouse
National Archives—Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum & Boyhood Home: Korean War
Military.com: Task Force Smith: How the 24th Infantry Division Saved South Korea at the Start of the Korean War
U.S. Department of War: Long Diplomatic Wrangling Finally Led to Korean Armistice 70 Years Ago
The Knoxville News-Sentinel, Feb. 20, 1952: Mother To Receive Soldier’s Silver Star
Burial Site: Find a Grave