Stone Gardens: A lone casualty of the Korean Conflict - Newton County Purple Heart winner Cpl. Durward S. Eiland
- Dennis McCaslin
- Jun 19
- 2 min read
In the gentle strains of the theme from the classic television series MASH about wartime surgeons, “Suicide Is Painless” often drifts through the air and stirs reflections on those who gave their lives in conflicts that history remembers more as police actions than declared wars.
The story of Corporal Durward S. Eiland reminds us of that reality from the rugged hills of Newton County .
Born on October 29, 1932, Durward was part of the Eiland family, whose roots stretched back generations through farmers, loggers, and mountain folk across Arkansas. Family tradition holds that he moved to Newton County to work in the timber industry prior to enlisting.
Details of his earliest years and formal education remain sparse in public records, as was common for many from modest rural backgrounds, but he came of age in an era when duty to country loomed large.
His paternal lineage traces through several generations of Arkansans with deep Southern roots:
Parents: J. D. Eiland (1904–1956) and Ruby Dell Ball Eiland (1905–1974).
Grandparents: George White Eiland (1875–1942) and Amanda Katherine “Kate” Lewis Eiland (1875–1963).
Great-grandparents: Rufus Eiland (1853–1934) and Katherine Elizabeth McCullar Eiland (1854–1926).
The line reaches further back to Francis Marion Eiland (1811–1899), Enoch Eiland (1782–1850), and Revolutionary War veteran Absalom Eiland (1750–1814), a South Carolina patriot whose service anchors the family’s long tradition of answering the call.
Durward had siblings and half-siblings--including Rufus D., Kenneth Dale, Sibyl Lee, and Cecil Bryan--who shared the challenges and bonds of rural Arkansas life.
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Like so many of his generation, Durward entered military service amid the escalating tensions of the early Cold War.
He enlisted in the United States Army; training would have taken him through basic infantry preparation before assignment to the 5th Regimental Combat Team, where he served with Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion.
This unit, drawn from the 5th Infantry Regiment, deployed rapidly from Hawaii in the summer of 1950 as North Korean forces surged southward.
Durward arrived in theater as part of the urgent American buildup to stem the invasion.
The 5th RCT joined Task Force Kean under the 25th Infantry Division, participating in the first major United Nations counteroffensive aimed at securing the southwestern approaches to the Pusan Perimeter.
On August 11, 1950, during fierce fighting near Pongam-ni in the Masan-Chinju sector, Corporal Eiland was killed in action at the age of seventeen. His unit faced determined enemy resistance amid hills and roads that tested every soldier’s resolve.
Records confirm his remains were recovered and returned to the United States for burial.
For his service and sacrifice, Durward S. Eiland received the Purple Heart along with the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation, and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.
These honors reflect the valor of a young corporal who stepped forward when his nation needed him most.
Today, Corporal Eiland rests in Greenwood Cemetery in Ouachita County, where a headstone marks his final place among fellow veterans. His story endures as a quiet testament to the thousands of Arkansans who served in Korea--a conflict often overshadowed but never forgotten by those who lost loved ones.
