Major Hugh Boyd Casey (November 30, 1925 – January 11, 1952) is the namesake of the U.S. Army Camp Casey installation in South Korea, named and officially dedicated in 1952 in his memory.Camp Casey fact page /ref> Casey was the son of General
Hugh John Casey
Hugh John "Pat" Casey CBE (24 July 1898 – 30 August 1981) was a major general in the United States Army. A 1918 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Casey served in Germany during the Occupation of the Rhineland. He later retu ...
and was killed after surviving combat for almost two years with the 7th Infantry, in a non-hostile airplane crash during the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
while serving in the position of aide-de-camp to the 3d Infantry Division Commander. He enlisted in the Army during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
and served in several South Pacific campaigns. After the war, he was commissioned as a regular Army officer.
Early life and family
Casey was born in
Auburn, Alabama
Auburn is a city in Lee County, Alabama, United States. It is the largest city in eastern Alabama, with a 2020 population of 76,143. It is a principal city of the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan Area. The Auburn-Opelika, AL MSA with a population ...
. Casey's father, Major General Hugh John Casey, served on the personal staff of General of the Army Douglas MacArthur as his chief engineer during World War II. Casey's sister, Patricia Adams Casey, married Frank Butner Clay, who retired from the U.S. Army as a major general in 1973.
Casey enrolled at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in September 1943 to study civil engineering but left the institute in early 1944 to enlist in the army.
Military career
In World War II he was active in the
Leyte
Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census.
Since the accessibility of land has be ...
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
, for which he received two Silver Star medals.
In August 1945 he was a member of the 808th Engineering Aviation Battalion serving in Manila. After the war, Casey was involved in engineering projects for the U.S. Army in Japan while stationed at Haneda airdrome near Tokyo. He was the project engineer of Washington Heights and Grant Heights housing developments for occupying forces in Tokyo. In 1948 he was commissioned to the Regular Army and stationed at Fort Devens. In 1950, he led a group of expert mine sweepers sent to
South Amboy, New Jersey
South Amboy is a suburban city in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, located on Raritan Bay. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city's population was 9,411.withdrawal from the Hungman Beachhead in 1951 and received a battlefield promotion to captain. As a captain, he was made commander of Company G. Shortly after he served as a senior aide to Major General
Williston B. Palmer
Williston Birkhimer Palmer (November 11, 1899 – November 10, 1973) was a United States Army four-star general who served as Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1955 to 1957; Deputy Commander in Chief, United States European Co ...
in command of the 10th Corps.Maj. Hugh Casey Killed in Korea, The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) January 19, 1952, page 2, accessed December 12, 2017 at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/15731304/ He was killed in the crash of a light Army aircraft near Tong Du Chon (
Romanization of Korean
Romanization of Korean refers to systems for representing the Korean language in the Latin script. Korea's alphabetic script, called Hangul, has historically been used in conjunction with Hanja (Chinese characters), though such practice has bec ...
동두천 has changed spelling to Dongducheon), South Korea on January 11, 1952. For his leadership and valor, Casey was awarded the
Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries.
*Distinguished Service Cross (Australia)
The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...
, the
Combat Infantryman Badge
The Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB) is a United States Army military decoration. The badge is awarded to infantrymen and Special Forces soldiers in the rank of colonel and below, who fought in active ground combat while assigned as members of e ...
, the
Korean Service Medal
The Korean Service Medal (KSM) is a military award for service in the United States Armed Forces and was established November 8, 1950 by executive order of President Harry Truman. The Korean Service Medal is the primary US military award for s ...
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...
. Shortly after his death, the 1st Corps Reserve training area in Korea was named Camp Casey in his honor. The Hugh B. Casey memorial Award was established in his honor for the "most outstanding soldier of the 7th Infantry Regiment" of the 3rd Infantry Division.Soldier Honored, The Index-Journal (Greenwood, South Carolina) 19 Jun 1963, page 2, accessed December 12, 2017 at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/15731735/soldier_honored_the_indexjournal/