US Army Master Sergeant Herbert (nmn) Caperton was born in Jackson County, Arkansas on August 2, 1921, the son of Nathaniel "Nat" Oscar Caperton (1879-1960) and Effie Mae Duncan (1890-1973). His parents married on August 20, 1906 in Tuckerman, Jackson County, Arkansas and made their first home there with Nat a farmer. Ten years later, they had relocated to Oil Trough, Arkansas but still farming. By 1930, they were living in Hill, Independence County, Arkansas on their farm. That same year they would move to Pensacola, Florida and settle in the lumber community of Millview where Nat was still farming. Nat and Effie were buried in Plainview Cemetery in Escambia County, Florida.
Nat's father was Ryan Perkins Caperton, an old Confederate soldier during the Civil War. He enlisted at the end of the war in 1864 in Izard Co, Arkansas, as a private in Company "F" of Ford's Cavalry Battalion, Cavalry and later Freeman's Regiment, Cavalry. His battalion fought in small unit skirmishes along the Missouri and Arkansas border. At one time they were listed as guerrillas by the Union army however, the battalion were indeed regular Confederate soldiers. The battalion's only significant combat was during Price's Missouri Raid in the Fall of 1864. He is also listed as having rode with Freeman's Cavalry Regiment that was organized in January, 1864. They too fought the Union forces in Arkansas in February 1864 with losses of eight killed, one wounded, and 31 missing. The regiment were later transferred to T.R. Freeman's Brigade and participated in Price's Missouri operations.
Nat's son Herbert would attend Bellview School in Pensacola before dropping out to enter the work force. He would enlist in the US Navy on 7-16-1940 and was sent to Birmingham, Alabama for processing and orientation. He was then sent to basic training in Norfolk, Virginia. Immediately afterwards he was sent to the Pacific fleet as a Seaman on the light cruiser USS Trenton (CL-11). On December 1, 1941 he was promoted to Gunner's Mate 3rd Class followed by another promotion to 2nd Class on August 1, 1942. He and his ship would spend most of the war patrolling the west coastline of South America and the Aleutians off Alaska.
On June 17, 1944, Herbert reported aboard the new heavy cruiser USS Alaska (CB-1) that had been commissioned that same day. He participated in her shakedown cruise and sailed with her to Hawaii. He was then transferred to the destroyer escort USS Tabberer (DE-418) as a Gunner's Mate 2nd Class on January 28, 1945. In this capacity, he would sail offshore of Iwo Jima during the landing followed by the invasion of Okinawa. Following the war, he received his discharge on July 16, 1946 and returned home. But for whatever reason Herbert would reenlist June 3, 1949 but this time in the US Army rather than the Navy. He was assigned to the Battery "D" of the 15th Antiaircraft Automatic Weapons Battalion attached to the 7th Infantry Division. No doubt, his experience in the Navy as a Gunner's Mate was most likely the deciding factor in his assignment to an anti-aircraft weapons battalion.
By November of 1950, the UN forces had beaten the North Korean Army and driven them back to the Chosin Reservoir. There, the 7th Infantry Division was ordered to provide a regiment to guard the Marines' east flank, by occupying the eastern side of the reservoir while the Marines occupied the south and western side. Once the UN offensive began, they were to proceed north to the Yalu River, the boundary between China and North Korea. However, from the start it became impossible to proceed as a cohesive force due to the ruggedness of the mountainous terrain and the lack of adequate roads. Additionally, the terrain also interfered with their ability to maintain communication with the Marines next to them. The regiment arrived at their destination on November 27, 1950 however, they were not expecting any significant enemy activity in the sub-zero freezing weather. Therefore, their defensive positions for the night were not adequately prepared.
Suddenly out of the darkness of November 27th, their positions were struck hard by a huge Chinese force of upwards of 150,000 troops who had infiltrated through their lines. The fighting became fierce devolving into hand to hand. The American forces were now surrounded and being overrun everywhere. Casualties began to mount by the minute as each unit struggle to keep their cohesion as a fighting force. To make matters worse, the temperature was falling rapidly, plunging to -30 degrees with heavy snow falling. The intense cold was especially hard on the wounded with some freezing to death without shelter. Ammunition ran out and many of the commanders were already dead.
In the midst of this extreme chaos, Herbert was wounded in the leg and captured by the advancing enemy forces. Given the location of his capture, it is more likely that he was force marched to one of the holding villages at Pukchin-Tarigol, Valley #1, or Kanggye. These marches were for long periods without rest, in freezing temperatures, with no food or water. Due to his leg wound, his march would have been very difficult for Herbert but if he couldn't or wouldn't keep up he was have been executed on the spot. Arriving at the initial holding camps, the prisoners were stripped of all coats, scarves, and hats and shoved into outside animal pens at -30 degrees. His family was notified he was missing in action and left with little alternative but to pray.
With the cessation of hostilities on July 27, 1953, preparations for the release of the United Nations POWs commenced. In August 1953, Herbert's name appeared on a North Korean list of those prisoners who were still in captivity and those that had died. His remains were eventually recovered and arrived in Pensacola on January 31, 1956. He was buried in Barrancas National Cemetery on February 2, with full military honors.


















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