Born: February 4, 1932 Corporal, United States Army Service# RA19335870
C CO, 1ST BATTALION, 21ST INFANTRY REGIMENT, 24TH INFANTRY DIVISION
Home or Place of Enlistment: Kooskia, Idaho Date of Loss: December 5, 1950
Corporal Lycan was taken prisoner while fighting the enemy in South Korea on July 5, 1950, forced to march to North Korea on the “Tiger Death March”, and died while a Prisoner of War at Hanjang-ni, North Korea. His remains were not recovered.
ARMY DISTINGUISHED UNIT CITATION (PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION)
As authorized by executive order 9396 and in the name of the President of the United States, the Distinguished Unit Citation is awarded to:
THE 24TH INFANTRY DIVISION
CITATION: The 24th Infantry Division and the attached 441st Counter Intelligence Corps Team is cited for exceptionally outstanding performance of duty and extraordinary heroism in combat against numerically superior enemy forces in Korea during the period 2 July to 15 September 1950. When the gravity of the military situation in South Korea, and shortage of immediately available transportation necessitated piecemeal commitment of the division despite its one-third shortage in all essential elements, the division faced an enemy force estimated to be a completely equipped corps, delayed this force and limited its advance. Stubbornly resisting the enemy’s drive from Osan, where the advance force of two companies bravely blunted the driving onslaught, the division, though outnumbered, outgunned, and out-armored in the face of continual frontal attacks, intense guerrilla activities and infiltration of exposed flanks, succeeded in delaying the enemy’s main effort until United Nations reinforcements arrived in the critical combat zone. Fighting in the streets of Taejon, where the Division Commander himself led rocket launcher assaults, the enemy was made to pay dearly for every mile gained. Time and time again fierce fighting took place throughout the delaying action when front line units decimated waves of attacking enemy with rifle, machine-gun and artillery fire, then killed the remnants that reached their position with bayonet and grenades. On 24 July, when a grave threat to the vital port of Pusan was made by superior enemy forces from the west, the division was called upon to meet this crisis. With only two days rest, the 24th Infantry Division met this critical menace and foiled the enemy’s attacks; battalions and companies tenaciously gave ground, exacting a heavy toll of enemy dead and stopped this advance. Moving to a sector on the central Naktong River front it resisted and later eliminated a dangerous enemy bridgehead that threatened the entire United Nations beachhead. This determined and successful attack completely destroyed one enemy division as a fighting force. The division again distinguished itself in early September when it reinforced a Republic of Korea unit whose lines had been breached in the Kyongju-Pohang sector. By skillful strong attacks this last serious threat to the final defensive area was eliminated. Throughout the entire period of this heroic action, officers and men distinguished themselves by conspicuous gallantry and courage. Service troops fought side-by-side with riflemen, supply and medical personnel performed their missions despite enemy infiltration and flank penetrations. Engineers fought as infantry and stopped hostile assaults with mines and demolitions. Artillerymen fought off attackers to keep their guns in action, in fact every man in the division was engaged in battle. The individual and collective heroism displayed by all ranks of the 24th Infantry Division in its valiant stand against great odds reflect the highest credit upon itself and the Armed Forces of the United States.
REPUBLIC OF KOREA PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION
By Order of the Secretary of the Army, the Presidential Unit Citation has been awarded by the President of the Republic of Korea to:
TWENTY-FOURTH INFANTRY DIVISION, UNITED STATES ARMY
CITATION: As the first United States Division in combat at Pyongtaek, Korea, it so distinguished itself from 2 July to 22 July 1950 by its tenacity, hard fighting and willingness to make extraordinary sacrifices against greater odds as not only to delay the advance of a numerically superior enemy, but, in addition, gained valuable time to permit other United Nations Forces to arrive on the battlefield. This marked and brilliant performance of duty by each individual member of the 24th Infantry Division of the United States Army is in accord with the highest traditions of peace-seeking defenders of Liberty.