Name: Joseph Bernard Surette Rank: Private First Class Service Number: 1154842 Service: Company B, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, United States Marine Corps Date of Birth: May 16, 1929 Place of Birth: Wedgeport, Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia Occupation: Machinist Marital Status: Single Date of Death: June 1, 1951 Age: 21 Cemetery: Holy Cross Cemetery, Malden, Massachusetts, USA Grave: Section No. St. Bridget Lots E76 Space L-8 Space 1 Commemorated on Panel 90 of the Korean War Veterans Memorial, National Mall in Washington, DC. The 1930 and 1950 census record that Joseph Bernard Surette was born in Canada, in Wedgeport, Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia. He was the son of Sylvester Joseph Surette (1906-1979), and Jane Eva (Boudreau) Surette (1905-1969), and the brother of Elmer James Surette (1931-2016). His father was born in Middle West Pubnico, Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia. His mother was born in Wedgeport, Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia. His brother served in the United States Navy during the Korean War. Joseph died of wounds received in action on June 1, 1951. On June 1, 1951, the 7th Marine Regiment was engaged in operations near the Punchbowl area in east-central Korea, as part of the United Nations May-June 1951 Counteroffensive. The Punchbowl region, a volcanic basin near the Hwach'on Reservoir and the Imjin River, northeast of Seoul, is where the counteroffensive was launched to repel Chinese and North Korean forces and reestablish a defensible line after the intense fighting of April and May. The 7th Marines role was part of a broader push by UN forces to regain territory lost during the Chinese Spring Offensive and to stabilize the front lines along the 38th parallel. UN forces, including the 1st Marine Division (to which the 7th Marines belonged), successfully regained much of the lost ground, leading to a military stalemate and the eventual establishment of the Main Line of Resistance (MLR) Private First Class Joseph Bernard Surette was interred at the Holy Cross Cemetery in Malden, Middlesex County, Massachusetts.

Sources: findagrave Korean War Project Honorstates.org