US Army Private Jerry Hue McMillian, (also known as Jerry M. McMillion) was born in Monroeville, Alabama on January 10, 1931, the son of Herbert McMillion (1892-1972) and Sallie "Sadie" Watson (1897-1974). He and his mother and siblings moved to Pensacola sometime after 1931. Jerry was the third child of nine and his mother supported them as a cook for the Pensacola Lunch Room Café.
After the outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950, Jerry enlisted in the US Army on February 29, 1951. After his basic training, he was sent to Company "B," 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment of the 7th Infantry Division. Fortunately, he did not join his regiment until after the Inchon landing (September 1950) and the infamous Battle of the Chosen Reservoir (December 1950). But he did arrive in time for the Chinese and North Korean spring offense as they drove toward the capital at Seoul in April 1951. Through intensive fighting, the enemy's drive was finally stopped cold just north of the city. In June 1951, the regiment was reassigned to the Army's rear echelon for a brief rest and recuperation.
By August, they were back on the frontline holding a defensive position north of Hwachon. Soon, they were reassigned to Heartbreak Ridge where they again took up defensive positions and heavy fighting. Here, on November 23, 1951, McMillin was wounded by a Chinese mortar round and hospitalized for one month. Recovering, he returned to his unit on December 28th, receiving his first Purple Heart. But the attacks and counterattacks continued on a daily basis, some by day and some by night as casualties mounted. It was in the chaotic struggle that Private McMillion would receive his second Purple Heart when was killed in action on February 6, 1952. His remains were returned home to his mother and sent home by train to Monroeville, Alabama and buried in the Buried Beulah Baptist Church Cemetery. In later years, he was joined there by many of his family.
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