Introduced Version
House Concurrent Resolution 4 History
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HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 4
(By Delegates Tomblin, R. Phillips and Marcum)
Requesting that bridge number 23-5-4.91 on Route 5 in Logan County,
West Virginia, the "Army Corporal Eldred Jennings Hensley
Memorial Bridge".
Whereas, Corporal Hensley was born in 1930 in Logan County; and
Whereas, Corporal Hensley enlisted in the United States Army on
November 4, 1948; and
Whereas, Corporal Hensley was a member of Task Force Smith,
Charlie Company, which contained the first U.S. elements to engage
the North Korean Army after arriving on the peninsula from Japan.
On July 5, 1950 the force was in its position just north of Osan
blocking the north-south road running from Suwon to Taejon. One
platoon from Bravo Company occupied a hilltop just west of the road
and the other two platoons established positions east of the road.
Immediately to their east Charlie Company, including Corporal
Hensley, set up defensive positions that covered Bravo Company's
flank and a railroad line running parallel to the road. This road
was a major avenue of advance for the North Korean Army. The Task
Force Smith occupied a mile-long line that included the shallow
saddle formed by the two knolls held by the rifle companies. Where the road passed through this saddle and began to wind down to the
valley floor, Task Force Smith made its initial stand. Despite the
rain that morning the infantrymen detected a column of eight North
Korean tanks moving south along the road from Suwon. The anti-tank
weapons employed by the infantry were ineffective and soon more
than thirty enemy tanks had passed through friendly lines, and were
in the rear of the Task Force. By mid-day, North Korean infantry
were overwhelming the last pockets of resistance taking many
prisoners. That afternoon, in order to prevent its complete
annihilation, the Task Force was ordered to withdraw to the south.
The Task Force suffered its heaviest casualties during this
withdrawal. The 1st Battalion of the 21st Infantry lost one
hundred fifty-three men in the first twenty-four hours of fighting,
including Corporal Hensley, by then a POW; and
Whereas, Corporal Hensley made his way north by stages to Seoul
and Pyongyang, and was then taken by train to Manpo on the south
bank of the Yalu River in a mixed group of seven hundred fifty POWs
and civilian internees. Exhaustion and malnutrition had begun to
weaken the men and claim lives, and pneumonia became a constant
menace. After several days at Manpo, the POWs were marched away to
nearby villages to keep them from seeing Chinese troops marching
into North Korea. They returned to Manpo in the last days of
October 1950, and on October 3l began a long march to the so-called
Apex Camps farther northeast. Companions recall that Corporal Hensley was mortally ill. On or about November 5, 1950, as the
group was making its way over a mountain pass, Corporal Hensley
fell along the wayside. Unable to continue, and possibly
unconscious, he was reportedly shot by a North Korean guard as the
group was forced to go on; and
Whereas, The fate of Corporal Hensley, as well as many other
soldiers, may have remained unknown had it not been for the actions
Private First Class Wayne "Johnnie" Johnson who was captured by the
North Korean Army in July 1950. During his time as a POW he
clandestinely recorded the deaths of those around him. At the
war's end he smuggled his notes out in a toothpaste tube and was
eventually awarded the Silver Star; and
Whereas, It is fitting that an enduring memorial be established
to commemorate this native son who gave the ultimate sacrifice for
his state and his country; therefore, be it
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Division of Highways is hereby requested to name
bridge number 23-5-4.91 on Route 5 in Logan County, West Virginia,
the "Army Corporal Eldred Jennings Hensley Memorial Bridge"; and,
be it
Further Resolved, That the Commissioner of the Division of
Highways is hereby requested to erect signs at both ends of the
bridge containing bold and prominent letters proclaiming the bridge
the "Army Corporal Eldred Jennings Hensley Memorial Bridge"; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates
forward a certified copy of this resolution to the Commissioner of
the Division of Highways, his sister, Goldie Boyd, his nephew,
Donald L. Tomblin, and Wayne "Johnnie" Johnson.