Bufford Kenneth VanSlyke, age 22, from Bay City, Michigan, Bay county.
Service era: Iraq
Spouse: Kortni
Child: Kaiden, 4 months
Parent: Cindy L. Fisher
Military history: B Co, 1St Bn, 24Th Mar, 4Th Mar Div, Saginaw, Michigan
Date of death: Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Death details: Hostile; Fallujah, Iraq
Source: Department of Defense, findagrave.com
Eugene Henry Eli Alex, age 32, from Bay City, Michigan, Bay county.
Service era: Iraq
Military history: Hhc, 4Th Squadron, 14Th Cavalry, 172D Sbct (4 Id), Fort Wainwright, Ak
Date of death: Saturday, September 2, 2006
Death details: Died in a medical center in Landstuhl, Germany from wounds suffered in battle
Source: Department of Defense, findagrave.com
Floyd William Jr. Kotewa, age 19, from Bay City, Michigan, Bay county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Saturday, August 14, 1971
Death details: Hostile, killed, South Vietnam
Source: National Archives, UPI (1971)
Gregory Wayne Felker, age 20, from Bay City, Michigan, Bay county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Thursday, December 24, 1970
Death details: Non-hostile, South Vietnam
Source: National Archives
Preston Lee Smith, age 22, from Essexville, Michigan, Bay county.
Spouse: Joan F. Smith
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Saturday, September 5, 1970
Death details: Non-hostile, South Vietnam
Source: National Archives, Lansing State Journal (1970)
Terry Joseph VanOchten, age 19, from Bay City, Michigan, Bay county.
Parents: Delmer J. VanOchten
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Friday, July 17, 1970
Death details: Hostile, killed, South Vietnam
Source: National Archives, UPI (1970)
Max Edward Walls, age 21, from Linwood, Michigan, Bay county.
Parents: Addie Irene Walls
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 Max Edward Walls entered the U.S. Army from Michigan and was a member of Company M, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. On November 2, 1950, while serving as a security unit for the 3rd Battalion near Unsan, Company M was hit by an enemy attack and forced to withdraw. It was during this time that CPL Walls went missing, though specific circumstances and an exact date surrounding his loss are unknown. He was never reported as a prisoner of war, and his remains were not identified among those returned to the U.S. following the war. Today, Corporal Walls is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Holland Evening Sun (1954)
Don Maurice LaForest, age 19, from Bay City, Michigan, Bay county.
Parents: Doris A. LaForest
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Wednesday, November 1, 1950
Death details: On February 6, 2010, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC, now DPAA) identified the remains of Sergeant Don Maurice La Forest, missing from the Korean War. Sergeant La Forest entered the U.S. Army from Michigan and served in Company L, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. He was killed in action on November 1, 1950, as his unit engaged enemy forces near a bend in the Kuryong River known as “Camel’s Head Bend” during the Battle of Unsan. He was buried near the area of his loss, but his remains were not returned to the U.S. immediately following the war. In 2004, a joint U.S./North Korean investigative team excavated a mass grave south of Unsan and recovered the remains of several U.S. service members. In 2010, analysts were able to successfully identify SGT La Forest from among these remains.
Source: Lansing State Journal (1950, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Alfred Charles Bordeau from Michigan, Bay county.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Wednesday, July 5, 1950
Death details: On July 5, 1950, Task Force Smith, the first U.S. ground element to engage North Korean People’s Army (NKPA) troops, was defending a position north of Osan, South Korea. The Task Force’s goal was to delay enemy forces by blocking their movement down the road south from Suwon to Taejon, which was a major avenue of advance for the NKPA. That morning, the Task Force was engaged by a column of enemy tanks. The anti-tank weapons that the infantrymen employed were ineffective, and a large number of tanks broke through their position. Task Force Smith was forced to withdraw to the south, suffering heavy casualties in the process. Private First Class Alfred Charles Bordeau, who joined the U.S. Army from Michigan, served with C Company, 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. His unit was part of Task Force Smith, and he was captured by enemy forces on July 5, just north of Osan, South Korea. He was forced to march north to the Apex prison camps near the Yalu River, and died of exhaustion and malnutrition at the camp near Kaeyambol in May or June of 1951. Although he was buried nearby, his remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire. Today, Private First Class Bordeau is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Carl H. Wagner, age 27, from Michigan, Bay county.
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Saturday, October 7, 1944
Death details: Died, non-battle
Cemetery: New Albany National
Source: National Archives, grave marker