Sgt. Kester Bernard Hardman

Sgt. Kester Bernard Hardman, of Smithville, WV, POW of the Korean War departed this life on April 24, 1951. Sgt. Hardman was born Jan. 5, 1928, a son of the late Sherman C. and Lida B. (Deem) Hardman.

Sgt. Hardman entered the United States Army from West Virginia and served in M Company, 3rd battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. By mid November 1950, US and Allied forces had advanced to within sixty miles of the border between North Korea and China. On Nov. 25, 1950, 300,000 Chinese Communist Forces suddenly and fiercely counterattacked, forcing the U.S. to withdraw to defense positions. During the withdrawal, Sgt. Hardman was captured by enemy forces and was forced to march to POW Camp 5 at Pyoktong, North Korea, where he died of illness on April 24, 1951. In 1954, the opposing nations reached an agreement to exchange war dead, now known as OPERATION GLORY. During the exchange, one set of remains was recovered but could not be identified at the time and were interred as an unknown in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. On July 18, 2018, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) exhumed these remains for further study. The laboratory analysis of the evidence established that the remains were those of Sgt. Hardman. Sgt. Hardman is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for. His name is also inscribed on the Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC.

Sgt. Hardman is survived by 10 nephews and 5 nieces.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his sisters, Dorothy Ahrendt and Genevieve Wade and his brothers, John, James, Creed, and Jack Hardman.

Funeral services for Sgt. Hardman will be 1 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, at the Hardman Chapel Church near Smithville, WV with Rev. Kevin Eakle officiating. The family will receive friends from 11am-1pm at the church. Following the service, Sgt. Hardman will be laid to rest with his parents in the Hardman Chapel Cemetery where full military honors will be conducted by the United States Army.

Raiguel Funeral Home in Harrisville, WV, is proud to serve the Hardman family and being able to assist in returning Sgt. Hardman back home to Smithville, WV.

Online condolences may be expressed to the family at www.mcculloughraiguel.com.