Cpl. C. David Strout

Hero Profile - Korea

Address when enlisted - 353 South Main St.

Date of Sacrifice February 6, 1952 - Age 23

Text of Memorial Dedication on November 11, 1996

Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. My name is Merle Brown and I would like to welcome you to the dedication of the Clifford David Strout Memorial Square.

Reverend Gary Ritts of the Second Congregational Church will now give the benediction.

Private First Class Clifford David Strout enlisted in the United States Army November 8, 1950 and was killed in action February 6, 1952 in Korea.

He was the only serviceman to leave Cohasset for Korea and not return.

We feel it has become significant to remember David today, because time has not been kind to his memory in the forty-five years since his death.

His friends and contemporaries cannot be found… his parents are gone and with them, hopes of tracing relatives who could share today’s thoughts. We have encountered a number of Strout families from Maine to Arizona, but David seems this day to be now, part of OUR family and forever in our hearts.

Thank you David.

The American flag was presented to Ralph Perroncello Commander VFW Post 9437, on behalf of the Strout family.
 

Volunteered to serve in the Army

Korean War soldier

paid ultimate price

Byline: By Samantha Brown

SAMBROWN@CNC.COM

Cohasset sent 164 men off to battle during the Korean War and 163 came home.For the town and those who knew and loved CPL C. David Strout, his loss was one too many. Strout was born in Arlington, Mass., where he lived with his parents and his older brother, Stanley. His father, an executive at John Hancock Insurance, then moved the family to Weston where Stanley entered the service in World War II, and David attended Valley Forge Military Academy in Pennsylvania.David graduated from the school in 1947, and returned home to Massachusetts.

In June 1950, the Strout family moved again, this time to a home at 353 South Main St., in Cohasset. That November, David made the decision to follow in his brother's footsteps and enlist in the United States Army. David spent time in Camp Polk, La. from November 1950 through January 1951.

 While there is no information regarding other assignments he had, he was ultimately deployed to Korea. History of the Korean War indicates the 279th Infantry, of which David was a member, was in the area about 10 miles west of the rubble piles of Chorwon - known as the "iron triangle," between Chorwon, Kumhwa, and Pyonggang, north of Seoul - at the time of David's death.

 The 45th Division was the first National Guard Division to fight in Korea, and it arrived in Korea from Japan in the third week of December, 1951.  Records indicate David was killed in action on Feb. 6, 1952 near Sungyang-ni, North Korea. He was just 23 years old.

 David had been attached to the second platoon of Company L, 279th Infantry as a litter bearer. Differing records indicate his rank as either PFC or CPL. The second platoon was attacking hill "Old Baldy" when David was hit by mortar fragments in the back of his head and was killed instantly. His body was recovered and eventually shipped to the United States. When he was found, he was still wearing his Valley Forge Military Academy class ring.

David was buried in the Forest Hills Cemetery in Boston. However, in 1972, his remains were removed and sent to his mother in Sun City, Ariz., and inured with his father at Sunland Memorial Park and Crematory. Stanley Strout remembers being at the family home in Cohasset the day he was notified by the Department of Defense that his brother had sacrificed his life for his country. He and his brother had spent many fond days not only in Cohasset, but in nearby Duxbury, where the family had a summer home.

While Strout was not a lifelong resident of Cohasset, he will forever remain in the hearts of those who live here. A square has been dedicated in his honor, and is located at the intersection of Red Gate Lane and Jerusalem Road.  Chairman of the Veterans Memorial Committee Glenn Pratt provided the Mariner with the information for this article, some of which was taken from the Valley Forge Military Academy's 50th class reunion publication, published in 1997.

Home   Back to Hero Profiles

Cohasset Massachusetts