Stephen Alan Spencer, age 20, from Alton, Illinois, Madison county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Saturday, April 24, 1971
Death details: Hostile, killed in South Vietnam
Cemetery: Oakwood in Alton
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, findagrave.com
Michael Kirk Johnson, age 19, from Alton, Illinois, Madison county.
Parents: Elsie M. Johnson
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Monday, November 16, 1970
Death details: Hostile, killed in South Vietnam
Source: National Archives, Associated Press (1970)
Willis Edward Ealey, age 20, from Alton, Illinois, Madison county.
Parents: Willis P. Ealey
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Sunday, November 15, 1970
Death details: Non-hostile in South Vietnam
Source: National Archives, Associated Press (1970)
Monroe Dee King, age 49, from Alton, Illinois, Madison county.
Spouse: Doris (Hall)
Children: Pamela, Leslie, Corey, Kevin
Service era: Vietnam
Military history: Office of the inspector general in Saigon. Received the Purple Heart for woundssuffered in the Korean War and the Silver Star.
Date of death: Friday, May 8, 1970
Death details: Died in South Vietnam after a heart attack.
Source: National Archives, Baltimore Evening Sun (1970)
James Joseph Burgoyne, age 30, from Alton, Illinois, Madison county.
Parents: James A. Burgoyne
Spouse: Rose Mary
Children: Larry, Kathy, Debbie
Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Alton High (1967), Southern Illinois University in Carbondale
Date of death: Monday, March 2, 1970
Death details: Killed in South Vietnam after his helicopter was struck by ground fire and crashed.
Cemetery: Valhalla Memorial Park
Source: National Archives, Alton Evening Telegram (1970)
Warren E. Harding, age 22, from Alton, Illinois, Madison county.
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Saturday, November 20, 1943
Death details: From November 20 through 23, 1943, the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy conducted a large-scale amphibious assault on the Japanese-held atoll of Tarawa as part of Operation Galvanic, the Allied capture of the Gilbert Islands. Located 2,500 miles southwest of Hawaii, Tarawa was a crucial stepping stone in the planned U.S. offensive across the central Pacific toward Japan. The Japanese garrison on Tarawa’s main island of Betio was well-entrenched with hundreds of bunkers and gun positions behind formidable beach obstacles. The first wave of Marines approaching the shore encountered lower-than-expected tides, forcing them to leave their landing craft on the reef and wade the hundreds of yards to the beach under intense enemy fire. The heaviest number of U.S. casualties were suffered during this phase of the landing. Eventually, rising tides allowed U.S. warships to maneuver closer to shore and support the troops with effective naval gunfire. More Marines landed on the second day, launching attacks inland from the beaches and seizing the Japanese airfield on the island. However, the enemy launched vicious counterattacks and two more days of intense fighting were needed to secure Betio. The last enemy strongpoints were taken on the morning of November 23. The fighting on Betio cost the Marines nearly 3,000 casualties but enabled U.S. forces to press further across the Pacific and yielded valuable tactical lessons that reduced U.S. losses in future amphibious landings. Private Warren E. Harding entered the U.S. Marine Corps from Missouri and served in Company L, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines, 2nd Marine Division. He was killed in action on November 20, 1943 during the Battle of Tarawa. Private Harding was buried on Betio Island but his remains could not be identified among those disinterred from the island following the war. Today, Private Harding is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency