Tommie T Hanks (1923 - abt. 1950)

Born 24 Apr 1923 in Fort Worth, Tarrant, Texas, United States [uncertain]

Died about 26 Nov 1950 at about age 27 in Anju, North Korea

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Biography

Tommie Hanks is a part of US Black heritage.

Tommie Hanks was a Texan.

Tommie T Hanks was born on 24 April 1923 in Fort worth, Texas.^[1] Tommy T Hanks, age 6, born in Texas, was living in his grandmother's household in Washington, Texas in 1930. Jennie Mabel, the 28 year old daughter of his grandmother, may be his mother.^[2]

He was single and without dependents when he enlisted in the U.S. Army in El Paso, Texas in 1941^[3] during World War II. He saw action in the Philippines.^[4]

He married Laura from Oakland, California^[4] c.1943.

Children of the marriage:

1. Tommie Hanks Jr (c.1944)
2. Irene Hanks (c.1948)
3. Shirley Anne Hanks (c.1950)

He re-enlisted in 1945,^[5] and served in the military police before his deployment to North Korea in 1950.^[4]

In 1950, before the birth of his third child and his deployment, he and his family were living in Muscogee County, Georgia,^[6] while he was stationed at Fort Benning.

He was killed in action on 26 November 1950.^[7][8] With his body unrecovered, he was presumed dead on December 31, 1953.^[9]

In late 1950, Corporal Hanks was a Light Weapons Infantryman assigned to Company E, 2nd Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, 8th Army.

He was reported missing in action on Nov. 26, while his unit was attempting to withdraw from east of the Ch'ongch'on River near Anju, North Korea. Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered, and there is no evidence that he was ever a prisoner of war. Cpl Hanks was declared nonrecoverable on Jan. 16, 1956. His name is permanently inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.^[10]

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced that U.S. Army Corporal Tommie T. Hanks, 27, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for Aug. 2, 2022.

His remains have been identified 72 years after he was killed and declared missing during the Korean War, the US government has said. His identification became possible after North Korea in July 2018 turned over 55 boxes containing the remains of American service members killed during the Korean War. He will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery on a date yet to be determined.^[11][1]

He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, Combat Infantryman's Badge, Korean Service Medal, United Nations Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.^[9]

Research Notes

The Hawaiian memorial plaque with his name and rank says he was from Georgia because he was stationed at Ft. Benning, in Muscogee County, Georgia before his deployment to Korea.

It is not yet clear whether the Tom Hanks in Washington County, Texas in 1930 is the same person. Research is ongoing.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, press release, Nov. 9, 2022, "Soldier Accounted For From Korean War (Hanks, T.),"
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:HL3L-YZM : accessed 12 November 2022), Tom T Hanks in household of Lizzie Mabel, Precinct 5, Washington, Texas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 15, sheet 13A, line 30, family 276, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 2406; FHL microfilm 2,342,140.
3. ↑ "United States World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KMFB-3JW : 5 December 2014), Tommie T Hanks, enlisted 12 Jun 1941, Ft Bliss, El Paso, Texas, United States; citing "Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, ca. 1938-1946," database, The National Archives: Access to Archival Databases (AAD) (http://aad.archives.gov : National Archives and Records Administration, 2002); NARA NAID 1263923, National Archives at College Park, Maryland.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2} Adela Suliman, "Remains of US soldier killed in Korean War identified 72 years later," The Washington Post, November 12, 2022, using a news clipping from an unidentified January 1954 Columbus, Georgia newspaper, and viewable at Columbus Wife Notified Husband Killed in Korea."
5. ↑ "United States World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KMFB-QQR : 5 December 2014), Tommie T Hanks, enlisted 19 Dec 1945, Cp Fannin, Tyler, Texas, United States; citing "Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, ca. 1938-1946," database, The National Archives: Access to Archival Databases (AAD) (http://aad.archives.gov : National Archives and Records Administration, 2002); NARA NAID 1263923, National Archives at College Park, Maryland.
6. ↑ "1950 U.S. Census," Family Search data base, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6FQ5-NG2L), (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHN-GQHW-YC28), Columbus, Muscogee, Georgia, Ed.D. 162-10, Line No.12, Page No.12. entry for Tommie Hanks, 13 April 1950.

   Tommie Hanks, Head, M, 25, Birth Year (Est.) 1925, Birthplace Texas, Marital Status mar, Occupation Armed Forces, Race Neg

   Irene Hanks, Wife, F, 22, Louisiana

   Tommie Hanks, Son, M, 6, Georgia

   Irene Hanks, Daughter, F, 2, Georgia

   Other People on This Record:

   Alberta Marks, F, 22, Georgia

   Maggie Hill, F, 54, Georgia

7. ↑ "United States Korean War Battle Deaths, 1950-1957," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KXCS-KJR : 12 December 2014), Tommie T Hanks, 26 Nov 1950; citing Korea, service number 38068046, reference 10002, Records of Military Personnel Who Died as a Result of Hostilities During the Korean War, compiled ca 1977-11/1979, documenting the period 01/01/1950-02/07/1957, NARA NAID 571686, National Archives at College Park, Maryland.
8. ↑ "United States Korean War Dead and Army Wounded, 1950-1953," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KXCQ-GXK : 12 December 2014), Tommie T Hanks, 26 Nov 1950; citing Military Service, North Korea Sector, service number RA38068046, program sequence IN DIV - 25TH, program element IN DIV INF REGT, Records of Korean War Dead and Wounded Army Casualities, compiled 1950-1970, documenting the period 02/13/1950 - 12/31/1953, NARA NAID 583580, National Archives at College Park, Maryland.
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1} Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/118129760/tommie-t-hanks: accessed 12 November 2022), memorial page for Corp Tommie T Hanks (24 Apr 1923–26 Nov 1950), Find A Grave: Memorial #118129760, citing National Korean War Veterans Memorial, Washington, District of Columbia, District of Columbia, USA; Maintained by ShaneO (contributor 47009366) Burial Details Unknown.
10. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/156486412/tommie-t-hanks: accessed 12 November 2022), memorial page for CPL Tommie T Hanks (24 Apr 1923–26 Nov 1950), Find A Grave: Memorial #156486412, citing Honolulu Memorial, Honolulu, Honolulu County, Hawaii, USA; Maintained by Sherry SH (contributor 48127093).
11. ↑ "Remains of US soldier Tommie Hanks identified after 72 years," BBC News online Fri. 11 Nov. 2022.

See:

• Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), press release

• Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), Status: Accounted For]