Kenneth Lee Higgins, age 20, from Fort Fairfield, Maine, Aroostook county.
Parents: Mary Higgins
Service era: Vietnam
Military history: Company C, 3rd Medical Battalion, Americal Division
Date of death: Friday, February 20, 1970
Death details: Hostile; killed in South Vietnam
Source: National Archives, Bangor Daily News (1970)
Raymond Nelson Pelkey, age 23, from Presque Isle, Maine, Aroostook county.
Parents: Nelson A. and Betty Pridmore, step mother Ruth (Cook) Pelkey
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Sunday, February 1, 1970
Death details: Killed by friendly fire in Vietnam
Source: National Archives, Banger Daily News (1970)
Scott James Roderick, age 24, from Caribou, Maine, Aroostook county.
Parents: Geneva S. Roderick
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Wednesday, January 21, 1970
Death details: Non-hostile; died in South Vietnam
Source: National Archives, Associated Press (1970)
Richard Fred Lucas, age 26, from Maine, Aroostook county.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Thursday, July 9, 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 Fred Lucas, who joined the U.S. Army from Maine, served with Company K, 3rd Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was killed on July 9 as his unit attempted to dislodge Chinese troops from the crest of Pork Chop Hill. Conditions on the battlefield prevented the immediate recovery of his body, and U.S. forces never again controlled the hill, which became part of the Demilitarized Zone. His remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire. Today, Second Lieutenant Lucas is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Gilman Dumond, age 21, from Madawaska, Maine, Aroostook county.
Parents: Joseph Dumond
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Wednesday, April 25, 1951
Death details: On April 25, 1951, elements of the 24th Infantry Division, including the 21st Infantry Regiment and the 5th Regimental Combat Team, which was attached to the division at the time, were dug into positions north of Seoul, South Korea, where massive Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) had regrouped after their previous attempts to penetrate the valley areas east of Seoul. The CCF launched a renewed offensive against these positions, and despite fierce resistance, could not be stopped. Full enemy divisions were committed in succession, passing around or through their own lines to engage severely outnumbered friendly forces. For several miles, a withdrawal by stages unfolded. Artillery and tanks covered movement after movement, using slight rises in terrain to their full defensive value. The U.S. units suffered heavy casualties and had many men captured during these successive rear guard actions. Corporal Gilman Dumond entered the U.S. Army from Maine and was a member of I Company, 3rd Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. On April 25, members of his unit were supporting a defensive line west of the Hwach-on Reservoir. The enemy launched heavy attacks which finally penetrated the line. Corporal Dumond was killed by enemy fire during this portion of the battle. The tactical situation became untenable and the Americans were ordered to quickly withdraw, preventing the immediate recovery of CPL Dumond?s remains. Since the ceasefire, no remains associated with CPL Dumond have been returned to the U.S. and he is still unaccounted for. Today, Corporal Dumond is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Portland Evening Express (1951)
Elgin Vogala Randall from Maine, Aroostook county.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Monday, November 27, 1950
Death details: On July 11, 1950, the U.S. Army’s 21st Infantry Regiment, which had arrived in Korea six days earlier, was placed in defensive positions near the town of Chochiwon, South Korea. The regiment was not at full strength and lacked artillery and anti-tank weapons. That day, they were attacked by North Korean forces and were forced to withdraw to avoid being surrounded, as well as to buy time until they could be reinforced and resupplied. Sergeant Elgin Vogala Randall, who joined the U.S. Army from Alabama, served with Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He was captured by enemy forces north of Chochiwon on July 12, and forced to march to the Apex prison camps in North Korea. He died of malnutrition on an unspecified date between March and September 1951, at the camp at An-dong. His companions buried him “under the snow in a cornfield,” near the camp. It is possible that after the snow melted, villagers reburied him in a non-tillable area. His remains have not been identified among those returned to U.S. custody. Today, Sergeant Randall is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Alberic Maurice Blanchette, age 19, from Caribou, Maine, Aroostook county.
Parents: Benjamin Blanchette
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Saturday, November 20, 1943
Death details: On July 12, 2017, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Private Alberic Maurice Blancette, missing from World War II. Private Blanchette entered the U.S. Marine Corps from Maine and served in Company K, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division. He was killed in action on November 20, 1943, during the Battle of Tarawa. His body could not be recovered at the time of his loss, and he was not identified among remains recovered from Tarawa immediately after the war. However, modern forensic techniques allowed for the identification of Private Blanchette among unidentified remains recovered from Betio that had been buried as unknowns in Hawaii. Private Blanchette is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Cemetery: Honolulu Memorial
Source: National Archives, American Battle Monuments Commission, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Ira E. Hersey, age 21, from Maine, Aroostook county.
Spouse: Single
Service era: World War II
Military history: 35th Infantry Regiment
Date of death: Saturday, September 11, 1943
Death details: Killed in action, Vella Lavella, Kokolope Bay
Cemetery: Manila American
Source: National Archives, 35th Infantry Regiment Association
Victorie Gendreault from Aroostook County Madawaska, Maine .
Service era: World War I
Date of death: Friday, November 1, 1918
Death details: Died of disease
Source: Soldiers of the Great War