Bailey Keeton Jr.
Sgt. Bailey Keeton Jr. (1930-1950) was a U.S. Army soldier who was killed in action during the Korean War. He was killed in battle at the Chosin Reservoir in 1950. He was listed as Killed in Action on Dec. 31, 1953. His remains were discovered in 2004 and his body was returned home to Scott County in 2016.
See Also: Scott Countians killed in war
Biography
Bailey Keeton Jr. was the son of Bailey Keeton Sr. (1905-1976) and Elsie Simpson (1910-1988). He was one of five children. His siblings included Violet Davis, Doris Jean Thompson, Ronald Keeton and Arnold Keeton.
Korean War
After high school, Keeton enlisted in the U.S. Army. He was assigned to Co. D, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division and rose to the rank of sergeant.
On Dec. 2, 1950, Keeton’s company was in the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea when it was attacked by Chinese forces. He was initially listed as Missing in Action. On Dec. 31, 1953, he was presumed dead and listed as Killed in Action. Hence, his official death is listed as 1953 though it is presumed to have occurred three years earlier.
The Battle of Chosin Reservoir began on Nov. 27, 1950 — the Monday after Thanksgiving. China had entered the Korean conflict just weeks earlier, and sent its army to infiltrate the northeastern part of North Korea. What followed was a brutal, 17-day battle in freezing weather, with temperatures that dropped as low as -36°. Some 30,000 troops under the United Nations Command were surrounded by more than 120,000 Chinese troops who had orders to destroy the U.N. forces.
Despite being heavily outnumbered, the U.N. forces — including the Americans — fought valiantly, and the Chinese suffered far higher casualties. The U.N. forces — though also suffering a high number of casualties — were able to retreat to the port of Hungnam.
Sgt. Keeton and the rest of the 30,000 troops are known as “The Chosin Few.”
Long Road Home
In 2004, the United States and North Korea participated in a joint recovery operation and excavated several burial sites in the vicinity of the battlefield. There, the remains of at least nine people were discovered.
Through DNA testing, using samples from the Keeton family, Sgt. Keeton was identified in 2015.
On June 22, 2016, Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam announced that Sgt. Keeton’s body was being returned home. “Bailey Keeton Jr. answered the call to serve his country and we are grateful that his family will finally have the closure of laying him to rest in his home state,” Haslam said.
Keeton’s remains arrived at McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville on Thursday, June 23. A day of mourning was declared from sunrise to sunset on June 25, and flags across the state were lowered to half mast.
Ronald Keeton (since deceased) told the Independent Herald that their mother never stopped believing that her son would return home. She died in 1988.
Services and burial
A graveside service was held at Hazel Valley Memorial Cemetery on June 25, 2016. Sgt. Keeton’s parents are also buried at Hazel Valley.
Less than six weeks later, Sgt. Keeton’s brother, Ronald Keeton, was killed in an accident in Scott County. He, too, was buried at Hazel Valley.