William Francis Manuel, age 34, from Kinder, Louisiana, Allen county.
Service era: Iraq
Military history: C Company, 3D Battalion, 1St Cavalry Division, (Tf Baghdad), Crowley, La
Date of death: Monday, January 10, 2005
Death details: Hostile; Baghdad, Iraq
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
Bryford Glenn Metoyer, age 25, from Oakdale, Louisiana, Allen county.
Parents: Herbert L. Metoyer
Spouse: Evelyn A. Metoyer
Children: Bryford G. Jr. and Elisha
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Saturday, January 18, 1964
Death details: On January 18, 1964, a UH-1B Iroquois (tail number 62-01880) carrying five crew members took part in a tactical operation over South Vietnam. After making a firing pass on Viet Cong positions in the target area, the Iroquois experienced total rotor failure and crashed into the South China Sea. Two helicopters hovered over the crash site and sighted four to five personnel in the water. Each helicopter managed to rescue one man from the water. Another helicopter dropped life vests to the swimmers, but the survivors in the water were too weak to hold onto them. The survivors soon disappeared beneath the water, and were not seen again. An extensive search of the area was conducted, resulting in the recovery of the remains of a British wing commander who had been aboard the Iroquois. The other two men from the helicopter’s crew are still unaccounted for. First Lieutenant Bryford Glenn Metoyer, who joined the U.S. Army from Louisiana, was a member of the Utility Tactical Transport Helicopter Company, 145th Combat Aviation Battalion, and was a crew member aboard the Iroquois when it went down. He was not rescued following the incident, and his remains were not located. Today, First Lieutenant Metoyer 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.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Daily Iberian and Jeanerette Enterprise (1964)
Wilburn James Ashmore, age 24, from Elizabeth, Louisiana, Allen county.
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Sunday, December 7, 1941
Death details: Killed aboard the USS Arizona. Remains not recovered.
Cemetery: Tablets of the Missing at Honolulu Memorial
Source: National Archives, American Battle Monuments Commission, Defense POW MIA Accounting Agency, Alexandria Town Talk (1991)