Promote & Preserve stories of U.S. fallen soldiers/sailors
Joe A. Vinyard from Tennessee, Loudon county.
Service era: World War II
Military history: 774 Tank Battalion
Date of death: Thursday, April 18, 1946
Death details: Finding of death
Cemetery: Unaccounted For
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Norman D. Wall from Missouri, Benton county.
Service era: World War II
Military history: 28 Infantry 8 Division
Date of death: Friday, December 28, 1945
Death details: Finding of death
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
John J. Barabas from Illinois, Cook county.
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Wednesday, December 12, 1945
Death details: The Battle of the Hürtgen Forest, one of the bloodiest conflicts of World War II, was fought between Allied and German forces from September 1944 to February 1945. As U.S. forces advanced eastward into Germany, the defending Germans manned “Siegfried Line” positions opposite the Belgian border. The battle grew to involve approximately 200,000 troops, with tens of thousands of casualties on both sides. American forces initially entered the area seeking to block German reinforcements from moving north toward the fighting around Aachen, the westernmost city of Germany, near the borders with Belgium and the Netherlands. In the battle’s second phase and as part of the Allied’s larger offense toward the Rhine River, U.S. troops attempted to push through the forest to the banks of Roer River. Aided by bad weather and rough terrain, German forces in the Hürtgen Forest put up unexpectedly strong resistance due to a well-prepared defense. American forces were unable to break through to the Rur before the German Ardennes offensive struck in December 1944, known as the Battle of the Bulge, which halted the eastward Allied advance until February 1945. Corporal John J. Barabas, who entered the U.S. Army from Illinois, served as a rifleman in Company E, 330rd Infantry Regiment, 83rd Infantry Division. On December 12, 1944, he went missing as his unit attempted to take the town of Schafberg, Germany; however, specific details regarding his loss are unknown. No one saw him fall in battle, and his remains could not be identified following the war. Today, Corporal Barabas is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten.
Cemetery: Tablets of the Missing at Netherlands American
Source: National Archives, American Battle Monuments Commission, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Carl Winsch from New Jersey, Middlesex county.
Service era: World War II
Military history: 2 Ranger Battalion
Date of death: Saturday, December 8, 1945
Death details: Finding of death
Cemetery: Unaccounted For
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Leroy C. Legler, age 26, from Pennsylvania, Berks county.
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Thursday, December 6, 1945
Death details: Finding of death
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Wendell G. Phillips, age 26, from Michigan, Wayne county.
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Thursday, December 6, 1945
Death details: Finding of death
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Charles W. Riley, age 32, from Ohio, Belmont county.
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Wednesday, December 5, 1945
Death details: Finding of death
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Carl G. Dorsey, age 19, from Kansas, Sumner county.
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Tuesday, December 4, 1945
Death details:
On June 15, 2022, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Private Carl G. Dorsey, missing from World War II.
Private Dorsey entered the U.S. Army from Kansas and served in Company I, 3rd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division. American forces entered the Hürtgen Forest in November, 1944, seeking to block German reinforcements from moving north toward the fighting around Aachen, the westernmost city of Germany, near the borders with Belgium and the Netherlands. Aided by bad weather and rough terrain, German forces in the Hürtgen Forest put up unexpectedly strong resistance due to a well-prepared defense. Private Dorsey was reported missing in action on 4 December 1944 following combat near Grosshau, Germany, during fighting in the Hürtgen Forest, but the exact circumstances of his loss are unknown. In May, 1946, a German civilian found remains in the forest and reported them to U.S. officials. They could not be identified at the time and were interred as an unknown. After historical research, these remains were accessioned into the DPAA laboratory for further study. The laboratory analysis and the totality of the circumstantial evidence available established the remains as those of Private Dorsey.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Francis Archambeault from New Hampshire, Rockingham county.
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Tuesday, December 4, 1945
Death details: The Battle of the Hürtgen Forest, one of the bloodiest conflicts of World War II, was fought between Allied and German forces from September 1944 to February 1945. As U.S. forces advanced eastward into Germany, the defending Germans manned “Siegfried Line” positions opposite the Belgian border. The battle grew to involve approximately 200,000 troops, with tens of thousands of casualties on both sides. American forces initially entered the area seeking to block German reinforcements from moving north toward the fighting around Aachen, the westernmost city of Germany, near the borders with Belgium and the Netherlands. In the battle’s second phase and as part of the Allied’s larger offense toward the Rhine River, U.S. troops attempted to push through the forest to the banks of Roer River. Aided by bad weather and rough terrain, German forces in the Hürtgen Forest put up unexpectedly strong resistance due to a well-prepared defense. American forces were unable to break through to the Rur before the German Ardennes offensive struck in December 1944, known as the Battle of the Bulge, which halted the eastward Allied advance until February 1945. Private Francis Archambeault, who joined the U.S. Army from New Hampshire, served with Company B, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division. On December 3, 1944, during the Battle of Hurtgen Forest, Company B was holding a defensive position near Gey, Germany, when German forces mounted a counterattack and overran the American units, including Private Archambeault’s platoon, and a chaotic retreat ensued. When Company B regrouped, Private Archambeault was missing, and attempts to locate him at the time were unsuccessful. After the war, American Graves Registration Service personnel could find no record of Private Archambeault’s burial or the location of his remains. Today, Private Archambeault is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten.
Cemetery: Tablets of the Missing at Netherlands American Cemetery
Source: National Archives, American Battle Monuments Commission, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Milo O. Whipple from Ohio, Mercer county.
Service era: World War II
Military history: 22 Infantry 4 Division
Date of death: Tuesday, December 4, 1945
Death details: Finding of death
Cemetery: Unaccounted For
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency