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On February 5, 1951, Allied forces launched an offensive against North Korean and Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) north of Wonju, Korea. Republic of Korea units, the 2nd Infantry Division's 38th Infantry Regiment, and supporting artillery units, including the 15th and 503rd Field Artillery Battalions, along with the 82nd Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion, initially met light resistance on the drive north. However, on February 11, the CCF launched an aggressive counteroffensive that caused the Allies to withdraw to the south. A series of roadblocks established by the CCF along the road to the south forced the Allies to fight their way back toward friendly lines, and soldiers from the 2nd Infantry Division units split up in attempts to make their way south on foot.
Sergeant Esequiel Alvarez Olachia, who joined the U.S. Army from Texas, served with Headquarters Battery, 15th Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured by enemy forces on February 13, 1951, as his unit was making a fighting withdrawal southward to Wonju to establish a new defensive perimeter. The sergeant died of exhaustion and exposure while being marched to the Suan Bean prisoner of war camp in late February or early March 1951.