age 43

Bailey, James Albert
Army Chief Warrant Officer

James Albert Bailey, age 43, from Grove City, Pennsylvania, Mercer county.

Parents: Robert Otis and Frances Simons Bailey
Spouse: Betty (McCool)
Children: Joyce Anita Fusco

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Saturday, October 10, 1970
Death details: Died in a helicopter crash in a river in South Vietnam. Body was recovered at crash site in 1971.
Cemetery: Arlington National

Source: National Archives, Franklin News Herald (1970)

Mullis, John Belk
Army Sergeant 1st class

John Belk Mullis, age 43, from Fayetteville, North Carolina, Cumberland county.

Parents: Preceded in death by J.C. Mullis
Spouse: Helena Mullis

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Thursday, April 9, 1970
Death details: Died in Vietnam from a heart attack

Source: National Archives, Daily Times News (1970)

Risse, William John
Navy adrc

William John Risse, age 43, from Moline, Illinois, Rock Island county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Monday, March 16, 1970
Death details: Killed in Vietnam when a Navy EC121 spy plane with 31 crew aboard crashed into a hanger and started on fire.

Source: National Archives, UPI (1970), Associated Press (1970)

Williamson, William N.
Army Specialist 5

William N. Williamson, age 43, from Wendell, North Carolina, Wake county.

Parents: N.E. Williamson
Spouse: Mae Young Williamson
Children: Stepdaughers Evelyn Mast and Ann Young, stepsons Jimmy and Ronnie Young

Service era: Vietnam
Military history: 557th Engineering Company

Date of death: Wednesday, January 21, 1970
Death details: Killed in action in Vietnam
Cemetery: Corinth Church

Source: National Archives, Raleigh News and Observer (1970)

Mason, William Henderson
Air Force Colonel

William Henderson Mason, age 43, from Camden, Arkansas, Ouachita county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Wednesday, May 22, 1968
Death details: On March 13, 2009, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Colonel William Henderson Mason, missing from the Vietnam War. Colonel Mason joined the U.S. Air Force from Arkansas and was a member of the 41st Tactical Airlift Squadron. On May 22, 1968, he was aircraft commander aboard a C-130 Hercules with a crew of nine on a nighttime flare mission over northern Salavan Province, Laos. The Hercules crashed during its flight, killing all nine of its crew. Immediate search efforts could not be conducted due to heavy anti-aircraft fire in the area. Between 1989 and 2008, joint Laotian, Vietnamese, and American search teams conducted field investigations and excavations in the Quang Tri Province of Vietnam, recovering aircraft wreckage and human remains. In 2009, modern forensic techniques were able to individually identify the remains of the crew of the Hercules, including those of Col Mason.
Cemetery: Arlington National

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, findagrave.com

Cook, William Richard
Air Force Colonel

William Richard Cook, age 43, from Redwood Falls, Minnesota, Redwood county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: April 28, 1968
Death details: Lieutenant Colonel William Richard Cook, who joined the U.S. Air Force from Minnesota, was a member of the 16th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron. He was the pilot of the Phantom when it went missing on April 28, 1968. He was lost with the aircraft, and his remains have not been recovered. After the incident, the U.S. Air Force promoted Lt Col Cook to the rank of Colonel (Col). Today, Colonel Cook is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Freng, Stanley Jon
Navy Petty officer 2nd class

Stanley Jon Freng, age 43, from South Dakota, Yankton county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Friday, June 17, 1966

Death details: On June 17, 1966, a C-130E Hercules (tail number 63-7785) carrying fourteen service members took off from Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam, en route to Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan. Approximately twenty minutes after take-off, the Hercules exploded for unknown reasons and crashed into the South China Sea. Nearby ships witnessed the incident and quickly arrived on the scene to assist in rescue operations, and recovered the remains of two service members. However, twelve individuals who were aboard the aircraft were lost during the incident and remain unaccounted-for.

Aviation Machinist’s Mate Second Class Stanley Jon Freng entered the U.S. Navy from South Dakota and was a member of Air Transport Squadron 7. He was a crew member aboard this Hercules when it crashed, and his remains could not be recovered following the incident. Today, Aviation Machinist’s Mate Second Class? Freng is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Based on all information available, DPAA assessed the individual’s case to be in the analytical category of Non-recoverable.

Cemetery: Memorialized in Black Hills National

Source: National Archives, grave marker, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Inman, Richard George
Army 2nd lieutenant

Richard George Inman, age 43, from Indiana, Knox county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Tuesday, July 7, 1953
Death details: On July 6, 1953, a large Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) unit attacked and overran the U.S. Army outposts on Pork Chop Hill in an attempt to seize whatever territory possible before the impending armistice agreement. After fighting for the position for four days, on July 10, the 7th Infantry Division Commander determined that the CCF disregard for casualties and desire to hold the outpost outweighed the position’s tactical value, and ordered a withdrawal that was eventually completed on July 11. The U.S. never again controlled Pork Chop Hill, preventing thorough recovery efforts for those who were killed or went missing during the fighting. Second Lieutenant Richard George Inman, who joined the U.S. Army from Indiana, served with Company B, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. On the evening of July 6, he led an ambush patrol against Chinese troops holding the heights of Pork Chop Hill, and was killed in an engagement with the enemy. Conditions on the battlefield prevented the immediate recovery of his body, and the area where he fell soon became part of the Demilitarized Zone. His remains have not been identified among those returned to U.S. custody. Today, Second Lieutenant Inman is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Overend, James Edward
Army Master sergeant

James Edward Overend, age 43, from Kings County Brooklyn, New York .

Spouse: Teresa Overend
Children: Dennis, infant

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Wednesday, February 7, 1951
Death details: By mid-November 1950, U.S. and Allied forces had advanced to within approximately sixty miles of the Yalu River, the border between North Korea and China. On November 25, approximately 300,000 Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) “volunteers” suddenly and fiercely counterattacked after crossing the Yalu. The 2nd Infantry Division, located the farthest north of units at the Chongchon River, could not halt the CCF advance and was ordered to withdraw to defensive positions at Sunchon in the South Pyongan province of North Korea. As the division pulled back from Kunu-ri toward Sunchon, it conducted an intense rearguard action while fighting to break through well-defended roadblocks set up by CCF infiltrators. The withdrawal was not complete until December 1, and the 2nd Infantry Division suffered extremely heavy casualties in the process. Master Sergeant James Edward Overend, who joined the U.S. Army from New Jersey, served with A Company, 2nd Engineer Combat Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured by enemy forces on December 1, 1950, as his unit was withdrawing from Kunu-ri to Sunchon. He was marched with a large group of prisoners to the Pukchin-Tarigol Valley in North Korea, where he died of malnutrition and cardiac failure on February 7, 1951. He was under the care of a captured Army doctor at the time of his death, but no mention is made of his burial. His remains have not been recovered. Master Sergeant Overend is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Jersey Journal (1953)

Fuelscher, Kenneth O.
1st lieutenant

Kenneth O. Fuelscher, age 43, from Ochiltree County Perryton, Texas .

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Tuesday, January 9, 1945
Death details: On December 13, 1944, Japanese forces in the Philippines began the transfer of 1,621 Allied prisoners of war (POWs) to Japan. The POWs were to make the journey aboard transport ships whose harsh conditions and extreme overcrowding led survivors to refer to them as “Hell Ships.” The ships also lacked markings that would distinguish them from any other military target, causing some of them to be attacked by Allied forces who could not identify them as POW transports. On December 14, 1944, Allied aircraft attacked the first ship, the Oryoku Maru, in Subic Bay in the Philippines, killing many Allied POWs who became lost in the water, sank with the ship, or were washed ashore. Survivors of the bombing were put aboard two other ships, the Enoura Maru and the Brazil Maru, to continue on to Japan. During the journey, while anchored in Takao Harbor, Formosa (present-day Taiwan), the Enoura Maru was attacked by Allied aircraft from the USS Hornet (CV-8), killing Allied POWs who were lost in the water, on board the ship, or on the nearby shore. Survivors of the Enoura Maru bombing were loaded onto the Brazil Maru, and reached Japan on January 30, 1945. As a result of these incidents, Allied POWs were lost in the Philippines, at sea between the Philippines and Taiwan, while anchored in Taiwan, at sea between Taiwan and Japan, and in Japan. The attacks on these POW transports ultimately resulted in a series of death notifications from the Japanese government through the International Red Cross (IRC), and some casualties were given up to five different dates of death at various locations during the transfer. Witness accounts from surviving POWs offer detailed information for a handful of casualties, but the specific dates of loss and/or last-known locations for many of these POWs are based on the most recent reported date of death. First Lieutenant O. Kenneth Fuelscher joined the U.S. Army Air Forces from Texas and served with the Headquarters Squadron, Far East Army Air Force, in the Philippines during World War II. He was taken as a POW following the Japanese invasion and was interned in the islands until December 1944, when he was put aboard the Oryoku Maru for transport to Japan. Records indicate 1LT Fuelscher was killed several weeks later in the attack on the Enoura Maru; however, these reports often involve information solely furnished by enemy governments, with some casualties given multiple dates of death. Future research may determine that these reports were inaccurate. His remains were not recovered or identified following the war, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, First Lieutenant Fuelscher is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Pampa Daily News (1947)

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