Baltimore Maryland

Belfe, Bernard
Marines Private 1st class

Bernard Belfe, age 22, from Baltimore, Maryland, Baltimore county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, March 26, 1953
Death details: In late March 1953, elements of the 1st Marine Division manned a string of outposts along a 33-mile section of the main line of resistance on the Korean Peninsula, near the present-day Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The 1st Marine Division’s 5th Marine Regiment was responsible for three of these outposts, named Carson, Reno, and Vegas, or collectively “the Nevada Cities Complex.” On March 26, Chinese Communist Forces attacked all three outposts. Although Carson managed to stave off the assault, Reno and Vegas, which were more lightly manned, eventually succumbed to the enemy. Over 1,000 Marines were killed, wounded, or went missing during the attack on the Nevada Cities Complex. Private First Class Bernard Joseph Belfe joined the U.S. Marine Corps from Maryland and was a member of H Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. He went missing in action during his unit’s fighting at the Nevada Cities Complex on March 26, 1953. He was never reported to be a prisoner of war, and his remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire. Today, Private First Class Belfe is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Griffith, Harold Wilson
Army Private 1st class

Harold Wilson Griffith, age 21, from Baltimore, Maryland, Baltimore county.

Parents: Harold W. Griffith

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 Harold Wilson Griffith Jr. entered the U.S. Army from Maryland and served with the Heavy Mortar Company, 5th Infantry Regimental Combat Team, 24th Infantry Division. He was captured by the CCF during this action on April 25. He eventually died while a prisoner on August 31. His burial location is unknown, and his remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the war. Today, Corporal Griffith is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Philadelphia Inquirer (1951

Dillard, Floyd Nathaniel
Army Private 1st class

Floyd Nathaniel Dillard, age 21, from Baltimore County Baltimore, Maryland .

Parents: Mammie Dillard

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Saturday, December 30, 1950
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. Corporal Floyd Nathaniel Dillard, who joined the U.S. Army from Maryland, served with Battery B, 503rd Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured by enemy forces on December 1, 1950, as his unit provided covering fire to withdrawing soldiers of the 38th Infantry Regiment. He was marched north to a temporary prison camp in the Pukchin Tarigol Valley, where he died on December 30, 1950 of exhaustion and pneumonia while under the care of a captured Army doctor. Although he was buried near the camp, his remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the war. Corporal Dillard is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. His name is also inscribed on the Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC, which was updated in 2022 to include the names of the fallen.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Philadelphia Inquirer (1951)

English, Leonard Jr.
Army Corporal

Leonard Jr. English, age 20, from Baltimore County Baltimore, Maryland .

Parents: Ozie English

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, November 30, 1950
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. Sergeant Leonard English Jr., who joined the U.S. Army from Maryland, served with Battery C, 503rd Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was killed in action on November 30, 1950, near Kunu-ri as he and his fellow artillerymen provided supporting fire to the soldiers of the 38th Infantry Regiment during their withdrawal to Sunchon. Due to conditions on the battlefield, Sergeant English’s body could not be recovered, and his remains have not been identified among those returned to U.S. custody by North Korea. Sergeant English is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. His name is also inscribed on the Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC, which was updated in 2022 to include the names of the fallen.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Associated Press (1954)

Bakie, Donald Linwood
Army Private 1st class

Donald Linwood Bakie, age 17, from Baltimore, Maryland, Baltimore county.

Parents: Evelyn M. Spicer

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, November 2, 1950
Death details: During the last week of October 1950, Republic of Korea (ROK) Army forces under the control of the U.S. Eighth Army were advancing deep in North Korean territory, approaching the Yalu River on the Chinese-Korean border. Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) struck back in a surprise attack, engaging the ROK 1st and 6th Divisions near Unsan, some sixty miles north of Pyongyang. The U.S. 1st Cavalry Division, with the 8th Cavalry Regiment in the lead, was rushed forward to reinforce the ROK units in the Unsan area. On November 1, the regiment’s 1st Battalion took up positions north of Unsan, while the 2nd Battalion moved to guard the Nammyon River valley west of town, and the 3rd Battalion was placed in reserve at the valley’s southern end. Corporal Donald L. Bakie, who joined the U.S. Army from Maryland, was a member of Company L, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. Throughout the day and into the late evening on November 1, Chinese forces conducted continued mortar, rocket, and heavy artillery attacks against the 8th Cavalry Regiment, in order to infiltrate lines and move into Unsan. In the early morning hours of November 2, the attack extended into the 3rd Battalion’s sector just south of Unsan and Corporal Bakie was reportedly captured during the course of this fighting. Prisoners from this battle were marched north to prison camps on the North Korean side of the Yalu River. Prisoners of war who survived captivity reported that CPL Bakie died at or near Pyoktong, the site of one of the main camps, due to malnutrition. Attempts to recover his remains since the close of war have been unsuccessful. Today, Corporal Bakie is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Baltimore Evening Sun (1950)

Bensinger, Norman Elmer
Army Private 1st class

Norman Elmer Bensinger, age 20, from Baltimore, Maryland, Baltimore county.

Parents: Mary K. Bensinger

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, November 2, 1950
Death details: During the last week of October 1950, Republic of Korea (ROK) Army forces under the control of the U.S. Eighth Army were advancing deep in North Korean territory, approaching the Yalu River on the Chinese-Korean border. Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) struck back in a surprise attack, engaging the ROK 1st and 6th Divisions near Unsan, some sixty miles north of Pyongyang. The U.S. 1st Cavalry Division, with the 8th Cavalry Regiment in the lead, was rushed forward to reinforce the ROK units in the Unsan area. On November 1, the regiment’s 1st Battalion took up positions north of Unsan, while the 2nd Battalion moved to guard the Nammyon River valley west of town, and the 3rd Battalion was placed in reserve at the valley’s southern end. Corporal Norman E. Bensinger, who joined the U.S. Army from Maryland, was a member of Company A of the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. On November 1, 1950, Company A was among 1st Cavalry Division units tasked with supporting offensive positions against encroaching Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) in the Unsan area. After intense barrages of enemy rocket fire and infantry assaults, Corporal Bensinger and the rest of Company A were ordered to withdraw along with the rest of the 8th Cavalry Regiment. Company A was forced to fight its way through Unsan, which was by then infiltrated with CCF firing on the American troops from rooftops and behind roadblocks. Corporal Bensinger went missing on November 2 during the course of this fighting, though the exact circumstances surrounding his loss unknown. His remains have not been recovered, and he could not be associated with any of the remains that North Korean officials returned to U.S. custody after the armistice. Today, Corporal Bensinger is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Baltimore Sun (1950)

Hackman, Earl Drissel Jr.
Navy Lieutenant

Earl Drissel Jr. Hackman, age 25, from Baltimore County Baltimore, Maryland .

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Monday, August 6, 1945
Death details: Killed aboard USS Bullhead SS-332 when it was sunk by air attack near the Lombok Strait.

Source: On Eternal Patrol, Philadelphia Inquirer (1945)

Reider, Leo
Army Staff sergeant

Leo Reider from Baltimore County Baltimore, Maryland .

Parents: William T. and Elizabeth Lynch Ward

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. Staff Sergeant Leo Reider entered the U.S. Army from Maryland and served with the Medical Department at General Hospital No. 1 in the Philippines during the defense of Bataan. He was captured by enemy forces and interned in the Philippines until December 1944, when he was put aboard the ship Oryoku Maru for transport to Japan. SSG Reider 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. SSG Reider’s remains could not be identified following the war, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Staff Sergeant Reider is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Baltimore Sun (1945)

Scherer, Kenwood Robert
Navy Reserves Seaman 1st class

Kenwood Robert Scherer from Baltimore, Maryland, Baltimore City county.

Parents: William Scherer

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Monday, December 18, 1944
Death details: He was aboard the destroyer USS Hull as it operated as part of the Fast Carrier Strike Force in the Philippine Sea. On December 17, 1944, the Hull was participating in refueling operations when the ships of its fueling group were engulfed by Typhoon Cobra. The Hull lost its ability to steer amid the enormous waves and began taking on water. The Hull eventually took on too much water to stay afloat and rolled and sank shortly before noon, on December 18. Sixty-two crew members were rescued, but a little more than two-hundred crew members were lost in the sinking.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Chronister, Mason F
Marines 1st lieutenant

Mason F Chronister from Baltimore, Maryland, Baltimore City county.

Parents: Anna Chronister

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Wednesday, June 17, 1942
Death details: Following the Allied surrender on the Bataan Peninsula on April 9, 1942, the Japanese began the forcible transfer of American and Filipino prisoners of war to various prison camps in central Luzon, at the northern end of the Philippines. The largest of these camps was the notorious Cabanatuan Prison Camp. At its peak, Cabanatuan held approximately 8,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war that were captured during and after the Fall of Bataan. Camp overcrowding worsened with the arrival of Allied prisoners who had surrendered from Corregidor on May 6, 1942. Conditions at the camp were poor, with food and water extremely limited, leading to widespread malnutrition and outbreaks of malaria and dysentery. By the time the camp was liberated in early 1945, approximately 2,800 Americans had died at Cabanatuan. Prisoners were forced to bury the dead in makeshift communal graves, often completed without records or markers. As a result, identifying and recovering remains interred at Cabanatuan was difficult in the years after the war. Captain Mason F. Chronister joined the U.S. Marine Corps from Maryland and served with Company B, 1st Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment in the Philippines during World War II. He was captured on Corregidor Island following the American surrender and eventually imprisoned at the Cabanatuan Prison Camp in Nueva Ecija Province. On June 17, 1942, CPT Chronister was on a truck returning to Cabanatuan from a work detail when he was killed during a guerilla ambush. He was buried across a creek from the Cabanatuan city dump in a grave reportedly marked with a cross. However, attempts to locate and identify his remains at the close of hostilities were unsuccessful. Today, Captain Chronister is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

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