Frank Marsigliano, age 21, from New York, New York county.
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Monday, October 30, 1944
Death details: Killed in action
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Roland P. Faulknor, age 24, from Michigan, Muskegon county.
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Friday, October 20, 1944
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 Roland P. Faulknor, who joined the U.S. Army from Michigan, was a member of Company K, 60th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division, which took part in the Battle of Hürtgen Forest. Private Faulknor was reported missing in action following his unit’s attack on strong enemy positions at the Raffelsbrand sector of the Hürtgen Forest, south of Germeter, Germany, in October 1944. A German casualty card reported his death, indicating that German soldiers initially recovered his remains. However, the German records do not list a place of burial. Efforts by American graves registration teams to recover his remains after the war were unsuccessful. Today, Private Faulknor is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Jacob W. Givens from Ohio, Richland county.
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Friday, October 20, 1944
Death details: On June 17, 2019, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency identified the remains of Private Jacob W. Givens, missing from World War II. Private Givens entered the U.S. Army from Ohio and served in Company K, 60th Infantry, 9th Division during the Battle of Hurtgen Forest. On October 20, 1944, Private Givens was reported missing in action after his platoon attacked a German position near Germeter, Germany. His body could not be immediately recovered due to the active battlefield. Following the war, the site of Private Given’s remains was discovered by a German woodcutter who led an American Graves Registration Service team there. Private Givens’s remains could not be identified at the time, and he was interred as an unknown in the Ardennes American Cemetery. In 2018, a DPAA multidisciplinary analysis prompted the disinterment of Private Givens’s remains. Forensic analysis eventually led to the identification of the remains as those of Private Givens.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Albert J. Paoli, age 20, from Illinois, Madison county.
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Wednesday, October 18, 1944
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 Albert J. Paoli, who entered the U.S. Army from Illinois, served in Company I, 60th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on October 17, 1944, during the Battle of Hurtgen Forest while his unit was positioned southeast of Aachen, Germany. Specific details regarding his loss are unknown, and attempts to recover his remains following the war were unsuccessful. Today, Private Paoli is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Nicholas J. Heelein from Illinois, Cook county.
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Tuesday, October 17, 1944
Death details: Killed in action
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Henry Jenson from Minnesota, Goodhue county.
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Tuesday, October 17, 1944
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 First Class Henry Jenson entered the U.S. Army from Minnesota and was a member of Company L, 3rd Battalion, 60th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division. In mid-October 1944, his unit was positioned in an area of the Hürtgen Forest south of Raffelsbrand, Germany, known as the Raffelsbrand Forest. On October 17, Company L took part in an attempt to push German forces entrenched in the Raffelsbrand Forest eastward. However, the American soldiers were pushed back and German counterattacks inflicted additional losses. PFC Jenson was reported missing once his unit regrouped following this action. The exact details of PFC Jenson’s loss are unknown. He has not been associated with any remains recovered from the area following the war, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Private First Class Jenson is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Joe A. Garcia from Colorado, Denver county.
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Thursday, October 12, 1944
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 Joe A. Garcia, who joined the U.S. Army from Colorado, was a member of Company A, 60th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division. On October 12, 1944, Private Garcia was part of a reconnaissance patrol near Germeter, Germany, during the Battle of Hurtgen Forest. The patrol encountered enemy fire and was forced to withdraw but when the men regrouped, Private Garcia was reported missing in action. He was never reported as a prisoner of war, and his remains have not been recovered or identified. Today, Private Garcia is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Arthur L. Kautz, age 34, from Pennsylvania, Monroe county.
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Thursday, October 12, 1944
Death details: Killed in action
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Joseph M. Marsh, age 22, from Alabama, Blount county.
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Wednesday, October 11, 1944
Death details: Killed in action
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
John F. Grigas, age 35, from New Hampshire, Hillsborough county.
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Wednesday, September 27, 1944
Death details: Killed in action
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency