Willard Arwed Young

Their Story

Willard Arwed Young was born on October 7, 1930, in Monango, Iowa, the son of Ophelia Johanna Nuss and Coral Henry Young. His father died on April 2, 2000, and his mother died on February 22, 1996.¹

Young married Annette McDuffee on August 28, 1952, in Pierce County, Washington.² They had two children, Ruth and Daniel. Willard and Annette divorced in 1971.³ Young later married Mildred K. Burnett on July 3, 1977, in Clark County, Nevada.⁴

Young served in the 1st Cavalry Division during the Korean conflict. He was seriously wounded by a missile in the North Korean sector on October 17, 1951, and returned to duty on November 14, 1951.⁵ Corporal Young was awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart during his service in the army.⁶

The Korean War was fought between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea). North Korea invaded the South on June 25, 1950. The United Nations, with the United States as the principal participant, joined the war on the side of the South Koreans, while China and the Soviet Union supported North Korea. The fighting ended on July 27, 1953, with Korea still divided into two states, North and South.⁷

The 1st Cavalry Division came ashore at Pohang Dong, South Korea, on July 18, 1950. The Division served 549 days of continuous combat on the Korean peninsula. The division returned to Japan in January 1952 to serve as the Far East Command Reserve. Willard Arwed Young died in Iowa on November 15, 2014. He was survived by his wife, Mildred. Young was preceded in death by his son, Daniel Young; his daughter, Ruth E. Courts; and two sisters, Betty, and Doris.⁸