Simmons, Omer J.
Army Private 1st class

Omer J. Simmons, age 23, from Barren County Kentucky.

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Sunday, January 3, 1943
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 Omer J. Simmons entered the U.S. Army from Kentucky and served in Company G, 126th Infantry Regiment, 32nd Infantry Division. On January 3, 1943, Japanese forces attacked an Allied position in the village of Tara Kina, forcing Company G to retreat. Following the withdrawal, PFC Simmons was discovered to be missing, and is presumed to have drowned while his unit was crossing a deep river as part of the retreat. He was not seen again, and his remains could not be recovered following the war. Today, Private First Class Simmons is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Daily News (1943)