Butte County California

Marta, Chase S.
Army Specialist

Chase S. Marta, age 24, from Chico, California, Butte county.

Service era: Afghanistan
Military history: 3rd Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Date of death: Monday, May 7, 2012
Death details: Died of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. Killed were Sgt. Jacob M. Schwallie, Spc. Chase S. Marta, Pfc. Dustin D. Gross.

Source: Department of Defense, Military Times

Proctor, Russell J.
Army Staff sergeant

Russell J. Proctor, age 25, from Oroville, California.

Service era: Iraq
Military history: 4th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas

Date of death: Sunday, June 26, 2011
Death details: Died in Diyala Province, Iraq of wounds when enemy force attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. Pfc. Dylan J. Johnson was also killed.

Source: Department of Defense, Military Times

Walberg, Steven Joseph
Army Private 1st class

Steven Joseph Walberg, age 18, from Paradise, California, Butte county.

Service era: Iraq
Military history: Hht, 1St Squadron, 4Th Cavalry, Fort Riley, Kansas

Date of death: Sunday, April 15, 2007
Death details: Hostile; Baghdad, Iraq

Source: Department of Defense, Military Times

Clark, Arron Ray
Army Specialist

Arron Ray Clark, age 20, from Chico, California, Butte county.

Service era: Iraq
Military history: Company B, 440Th Signal Battalion, Apo Ae 09175

Date of death: Friday, December 5, 2003
Death details: Hostile; Baghdad, Iraq

Source: Department of Defense, Military Times

Taylor, James Harry
Army 2nd lieutenant

James Harry Taylor from Oroville, California, Butte county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Monday, February 15, 1971
Death details:  On February 15, 1971, a CH-47C Chinook (tail number 18506, call sign “Regard 25”) carrying five crew members and one passenger, took part in a combat support resupply mission over Laos. During the flight, “Regard 25” caught fire, exploded, and crashed near the Pon River in Savannakhet Province, Laos. Another helicopter that had witnessed the incident performed an aerial search of the crash site, but found no sign of any of the crew. The remains of the crew chief, door gunner, flight engineer, and the passenger were eventually recovered and identified; however, the remains of the aircraft commander and pilot were not recovered.

Second Lieutenant James Harry Taylor entered the U.S. Army from California and served with Company C, 159th Aviation Battalion, 101st Airborne Division. He was the aircraft commander on this Chinook at the time of its loss and was not recovered after the crash. Today, Second Lieutenant Taylor is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Olszewski, Joseph Verne
Navy Fireman

Joseph Verne Olszewski, age 20, from Chico, California, Butte county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Tuesday, January 27, 1970
Death details: Died in Vietnam

Source: National Archives, Chico Enterprise Record (1970)

Rogers, Robert Gene
Army Specialist 4

Robert Gene Rogers, age 20, from Paradise, California, Butte county.

Parents: Lon Whitson

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Sunday, January 25, 1970
Death details: Drowned in Vietnam when a vehicle in which he was riding overturned and threw him into a canal.

Source: National Archives, Sacramento Bee (1970)

Illman, William Steve
Army Private 1st class

William Steve Illman, age 20, from Oroville, California, Butte county.

Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Las Plumas High (1965), Yuba College
Military history: 35th Infantry Regiment

Date of death: Tuesday, January 2, 1968
Death details: Killed by small arms fire in Quang Ngai Province

Source: National Archives, 35th Infantry Regiment Association

Vancampen, Thomas Charles
Army Private 1st class

Thomas Charles Vancampen, age 19, from Butte County Oroville, California .

Parents: Charles A. VanCampen

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Thursday, June 24, 1965
Death details: Private First Class Thomas Charles Van Campen entered the U.S. Army from California and was a member of Company B, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade. On June 24, 1965, he was on a combat operation near Bien Hoa, South Vietnam, when he became separated from his unit and was shot and killed by a sniper in the vicinity of grid coordinates YT 075 215. His unit was forced to retreat and was not able to retrieve his body at the time. The unit eventually returned to the area but did not find PFC Van Campen’s body, and further attempts to recover his remains have been unsuccessful. Today, Private First Class Van Campen is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. His name is also inscribed along with all his fallen comrades on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC.

Source: National Archives, Oroville Mercury Register (1965), Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Lewis, Joseph Jr.
Marine Corps Private 1st class

Joseph Jr. Lewis, age 18, from Gridley, California, Butte 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 Joseph Lewis Jr. joined the U.S. Marine Corps from California and was a member of C Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. He went missing in action during the fighting at the Nevada Cities Complex on March 26, 1953. Private First Class Lewis was never reported to be a prisoner of war, and he was not identified among remains returned to U.S. custody after the conflict’s ceasefire. Today, Private First Class Lewis is memorialized on 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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