Eisen, Sam
Army Private 1st class

Sam Eisen, age 23, from Wayne County Michigan.

Service era: World War II
Schools: Central High

Date of death: Sunday, December 20, 1942
Death details: In November 1942, the U.S. Army’s 32nd Infantry Division regained control of Buna, Papua New Guinea, with its goal of neutralizing an enemy threat to Port Moresby and, ultimately, to the Australian mainland itself. The rugged terrain that the soldiers faced was fiercely defended by Japanese troops and included tidal swamplands with a labyrinth of camouflaged trenches and bunkers. In December 1942, when the 32nd Infantry Division was reinforced with Australian soldiers, Buna finally fell to the Allies; however, malaria and other tropical diseases contributed to a high number of casualties and deaths for the 32nd Infantry Division. Private First Class Sam Eisen, who joined the U.S. Army from Michigan, served with Company E, 127th Infantry Regiment, 32nd Infantry Division in the Pacific Theater. On December 20, 1942, PFC Eisen was killed in action as his unit attacked a group of fortified Japanese bunkers in the vicinity of Buna. While the U.S. troops attempted to take the Japanese by surprise, someone accidentally shot off his weapon and in response, the Japanese raked the attackers with automatic weapons fire, killing PFC Eisen and numerous others. Although Army records indicate PFC Eisen was buried near Buna, his remains could not be found after the war. Today, Private First Class Eisen is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Detroit Free Press (1943)