Black Hawk county Iowa

Gienau, Richard Brian
Army 2nd lieutenant

Richard Brian Gienau, age 29, from Waterloo, Iowa, Black Hawk county.

Service era: Iraq

Child: Keenan, 9

Parents: Richard Gienau and Debbee Way

Schools: Tripoli High (1994), University of Northern Iowa (2003)

Military history: A Company , 224Th Engineerbattalion, (1 Mef), 105Th Troop Command, Burlington, Iowa

Date of death: Sunday, February 27, 2005
Death details: Hostile; Ar Ramadi, Iraq. Killed when an improvised explosive device hit his military vehicle.

Source: Department of Defense, Military Times

Steffeney, Eric Matthew
Army Staff Sergeant

Eric Matthew Steffeney, age 28, from Waterloo, Iowa, Black Hawk county.

Service era: Iraq
Military history: 18Th Ordnance Company, 184Th Ordnance Battalion, 52Nd Ordnance Group, Fort Bragg, Nc

Date of death: Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Death details: Hostile; Tuz, Iraq

Source: Department of Defense, Military Times

Ayers, Richard Lee
Air Force Colonel

Richard Lee Ayers, age 37, from Waterloo, Iowa, Black Hawk county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: April 16, 1970
Death details: On April 16, 1970, an RF-4C Phantom II (tail number 66-0409) with two crew members took off on a reconnaissance mission in the general vicinity of the tri-border area between Laos and North and South Vietnam. During the mission, the aircraft completed an in-flight refueling and reported to the Forward Air Controller that it was moving north to another target area. This was the last known transmission from the aircraft, and it failed to return to base. Searches were made along the flight path but were unsuccessful in locating either crew member.

Major Richard Lee Ayers entered the U.S. Air Force from Iowa and served in the 12th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron. He was the pilot of the RF-4C when it went missing and he remains unaccounted for. After the incident, the Air Force promoted Major Ayers to Colonel.  Today, Colonel Ayers is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Wilson, Jeffrey Lynn
Marines Lieutenant corporal

Jeffrey Lynn Wilson, age 19, from Waterloo, Iowa, Black Hawk county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Friday, March 6, 1970
Death details: Hostile in South Vietnam. He was serving as a crew chief in a helicopter which was unloading troops when he was fatally wounded.

Source: National Archives, Waterloo Courier (1970)

Mullen, Michael Eugene
Army Sergeant

Michael Eugene Mullen, age 25, from LaPorte City, Iowa, Black Hawk county.

Parents: Gene Mullen

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Wednesday, February 18, 1970
Death details: Killed by friendly fire in South Vietnam. Shortly after his death his parents used the insurance money to place an advertisement in the local newspaper in opposition of the war.

Source: National Archives, Des Moines Register (1970), Mason City Globe Gazette (1970)

Rogers, Craig Ray
Army Specialist 4

Craig Ray Rogers, age 19, from Waterloo, Iowa, Black Hawk county.

Parents: Carl R. Rogers

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Wednesday, January 7, 1970
Death details: Hostile in South Vietnam
Cemetery: Fairview

Source: National Archives, Waterloo Courier (1970)

Whitford, Lawrence W. Jr.
Air Force Colonel

Lawrence W. Jr. Whitford from Cedar Falls, Iowa, Black Hawk county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: November 2, 1969
Death details: 

On November 2, 1969, an F-100F Super Sabre (tail number 56-3796) took off from Tuy Hoa Air Base, South Vietnam, carrying two crew members on a forward air controller (FAC) mission over the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos. The last radio transmission received from the pilot stated that he was running out of fuel over Attapeu Province, about 20 miles east of the city of Muong May. The Super Sabre had a scheduled refueling, but when it failed to make the rendezvous, an aerial search was launched. The search found no sign of the aircraft, a crash site, or the missing crew. Because the aircraft disappeared over an area heavily infiltrated by enemy forces, a ground search could not be conducted. The aircraft and its two crew members remain unaccounted for.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Martin, Alfred John
Army Corporal

Alfred John Martin, age 21, from Black Hawk County Waterloo, Iowa .

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 Alfred John Martin, who joined the U.S. Army from California, was a member of the Headquarters and Headquarters Service Company, 2nd Engineer Combat Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured by the CCF during his unit’s fighting withdrawal from Kunu-ri on November 30, 1950. He was marched to a holding camp in the Pukchin-Tarigol Valley, where he died of malnutrition in February 1951. His remains have not been recovered, and he was not identified among remains returned to U.S. custody after the war. Today, Sergeant Martin is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Waterloo Courier (2008)

Leland, James Graydon
Marines Private 1st class

James Graydon Leland, age 20, from Waterloo, Iowa, Black Hawk county.

Parents: James G. Leland

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Monday, November 22, 1943
Death details: From November 20 through 23, 1943, the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy conducted a large-scale amphibious assault on the Japanese-held atoll of Tarawa as part of Operation Galvanic, the Allied capture of the Gilbert Islands. Located 2,500 miles southwest of Hawaii, Tarawa was a crucial stepping stone in the planned U.S. offensive across the central Pacific toward Japan. The Japanese garrison on Tarawa’s main island of Betio was well-entrenched with hundreds of bunkers and gun positions behind formidable beach obstacles. The first wave of Marines approaching the shore encountered lower-than-expected tides, forcing them to leave their landing craft on the reef and wade the hundreds of yards to the beach under intense enemy fire. The heaviest number of U.S. casualties were suffered during this phase of the landing. Eventually, rising tides allowed U.S. warships to maneuver closer to shore and support the troops with effective naval gunfire. More Marines landed on the second day, launching attacks inland from the beaches and seizing the Japanese airfield on the island. However, the enemy launched vicious counterattacks and two more days of intense fighting were needed to secure Betio. The last enemy strongpoints were taken on the morning of November 23. The fighting on Betio cost the Marines nearly 3,000 casualties but enabled U.S. forces to press further across the Pacific and yielded valuable tactical lessons that reduced U.S. losses in future amphibious landings. Private First Class James Graydon Leland entered the U.S. Marine Corps from Iowa and served with Company H, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division. On November 20, 1943, he was killed in action during the Battle of Tarawa. Private First Class Leland was buried on Betio, but post-war searches of the island were unable to locate his remains. Today, Private First Class Leland is memorialized in the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

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