John Wiley Eddins Jr. was born on May 2, 1932, the son of Chief John Wiley Eddins Sr. (1897-1949), a US Navy veteran of WWI & WWII, and Eunice Irene Eddins (nee Eddins 1913-2006). His father was stationed in Pensacola with the Navy in 1940 as a 1st Class Aviation Machinist Mate. He and Eunice were married in 1929 and John Jr. was born three years later. Although his father passed away in Ensley in 1949, nonetheless he had grown up with stories of his father's adventures in two world wars. This may or may not have influenced young John to join the military. But regardless, he enlisted in the US Army in 1950 and was assigned to Company "M" of the 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment of the 7th US Division.
Eddins' 3rd battalion of the 31st Regiment (known as "3/31") took part in operations in mid-November 1950 around the Chosin Reservoir on the Yalu River. The plan was for the regiment to spearhead an advance northward in -30-degree weather along the eastern side of the reservoir. This movement was to be coordinated with that of the 1st Marine Division moving north on the western side. However, things started going wrong from the beginning. Little intelligence was coming their way and the rugged terrain made communication extremely difficult. Then, without warning or foreknowledge, 300,000 Chinese soldiers poured over the border and attacked the task force en masse on the night of November 27th. Eddins' entire battalion and regiment were driven back without mercy. Even a relief force of tanks tried to come to their aide but were ambushed and overrun.
By midnight on November 29th, the Chinese renewed their overwhelming attack, and the regiment was ordered to withdraw the best they could. They began heading south toward the Marine lines at Hagaru-ri but were slowed by their trucks loaded with over 600 wounded. All along the way, they ran into one enemy roadblock after another, which had to be cleared and only added to their mounting dead and wounded. Before long, the entire column just disintegrated with small groups heading out over the frozen reservoir on their own. Many attempted to reach the Marine column at Hagaru-ri on December 1st & 2nd. It was during this desperate night of December 2nd that Corporal Eddins just disappeared. He could have been killed, captured, or died of wounds all alone in the freezing dark. We may never know but regardless his remains were never found.
But, to give you an idea about how bad it was, remember that a total of 1,000 men finally reached the Marine lines, but only 400 were in any condition to fight. The stalwart Marine's improvised a battalion from the Army survivors to assist them in their breakout attempt. Through fierce fighting the whole column was able to fight their way through to the coast at Hungnam on December 6-10th. Of the original 3rd battalion officers (50) and soldiers (1,000) from the Chosin operation, only two officers and 100 enlisted men reached the coast. The actions of the 3/31 at Chosin was credited with preventing the Marines from being cut off and annihilated on the western side of the reservoir.
But young Eddins was not the only local boy to disappear that night! Sgt. James Franklin Richardson of Milton was captured that same time and died in captivity at the hands of the Chinese. His remains were finally returned to Milton in 1955 and buried with his loved ones. The remains of another soldier from Eddin's unit was finally handed over to his family in 2018. MSgt Harold Drews was reported missing December 12, 1950, during the same UN withdrawal. His remains were discovered upon the release of 55 boxes contained 200 missing soldiers and Marines. This was a result of President Trump's meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in June 2018. Drews' name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with others who are missing from the Korean War. Agency officials said a rosette will be placed next to his name on the memorial to indicate he has been found. Another Pensacolian was SFC Frank Sims with the 503rd Field Artillery Regiment. He was captured on December 1st and died in captivity and is still missing. Then there was Thomas Edward Jones, known as Sugarboy, who was a Marine killed on December 1st in the same area, however his body was recovered and was brought home to Pensacola for burial in 1955.
In the meantime, John Wiley Eddins Jr. was listed as presumed dead on December 31, 1953. But to his family, they never gave up hope that one day he may be found and returned. His mother would remarry in 1950 before passing away in 2006.
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