A Memorial Day weekend service at Clemson University’s Scroll of Honor Memorial will include the dedication of a stone engraved with the name of Purple Heart recipient Harold C. Pearce, a member of the University’s Class of 1951. Pearce, who was killed during the Korean War, is the 498th name added to the Scroll of Honor, a list of Clemson alumni who have died in service.
About Harold C. Pearce
Harold C. Pearce came to Clemson from hometown Dillon, S.C. to major in engineering.
Pearce was a military policeman assigned to the 24th Infantry Division during the early days of the Korean War. He was killed on July 20, 1950, but due to heavy enemy fire, his remains could not be recovered. When North Korean troops were forced from the area, several sets of unidentifiable remains were retrieved and buried. In 1956, these remains were removed to the National Military Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii.
In 2018, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency proposed to disinter 652 Korean War unknowns for scientific testing and possible identification. On July 29, 2019, 69 years and nine days after his death, Corporal Pearce’s family was notified that his remains had been identified. He was reburied with full military honors at the Catfish Creek Baptist Church near Latta. Officials of the Clemson Corps, the alumni group which oversees the Scroll of Honor, added Pearce’s name to this sacred roster earlier this year and will dedicate his stone during the service on May 28. The ceremony will also include a flag ceremony, wreath laying and the sounding of Taps.
About the May 28 Stone Dedication Service
The service will begin at 4 p.m. on Sunday, May 28 at the Memorial which is located on the Clemson campus across Williamson Road from Memorial Stadium. Colonel Danny Rhodes, US Army retired and a 1968 graduate of Clemson, will offer a Memorial Day Reflection prior to the dedication of Pearce’s stone marker.
The service is open to the public and participants are invited to bring lawn chairs. In the event of inclement weather, the event will be canceled.
For more information, contact Frank Cox (864-653-0731/frank.cox68@gmail.com).