Tag: Calhoun County Michigan

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Cline, Curtis Roy
Army Staff sergeant

Curtis Roy Cline from Burlington, Michigan, Calhoun county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: September 18, 1969
Death details:  Private First Class Curtis Roy Cline entered the U.S. Army from Michigan and served in Company D, 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division. On September 18, 1969, he was serving as a rifleman in his unit attempting to make a river crossing in South Vietnam. He was the second man to cross, and when he was roughly halfway across the river he got water in his mouth and accidentally let go of the vine being used as a hand hold. The swift current swept him downstream, and he was not seen again. Attempts to locate or identify his remains following his loss were unsuccessful. After his disappearance, the Army promoted PFC Cline to the rank of Staff Sergeant (SSG). Today, Staff Sergeant Cline is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Based on all information available, DPAA assessed the individual’s case to be in the analytical category of Non-recoverable.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

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Anderson, Larry Joe
Army Private

Larry Joe Anderson, age 17, from Michigan, Calhoun county.

Parents: Mrs. Roy Traister

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Sunday, July 16, 1950
Death details: On the evening of July 15, 1950, the U.S. Army’s 19th Infantry Regiment held defensive positions along the south bank of the Kum River. As dusk approached, North Korean People’s Army (NKPA) tanks appeared on the opposite shore and began firing on the U.S. positions. Although U.S. troops repulsed the attacks that evening, the next morning the NKPA crossed the river and launched a major attack against the 19th Regiment. As the regiment began withdrawing south to Taejon, the North Koreans pushed deep into their defensive lines and set up a roadblock en route to Taejon. When retreating American convoys could not break through the roadblock, soldiers were forced to leave the road and attempt to make their way in small groups across the countryside. Of the 900 soldiers in the 19th Infantry when the Battle of Kum River started, only 434 made it to friendly lines. Private First Class Larry Joe Anderson entered the U.S. Army from Michigan and served with Company A, 1st Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He was captured on July 16, 1950, during the Battle of Kum River, while his unit was attempting to withdraw through and around an enemy roadblock outside Taejon. After being marched to various holding camps in North Korea, he reached Hanjang-ni where he eventually died of exhaustion and pneumonia in late December 1950. He was buried by his companions near the village. His remains have not been recovered. Today, Private First Class Anderson is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Battle Creek Enquirer (1953)

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Smith, Lowell D.
Army Private 1st class

Lowell D. Smith, age 24, from Battle Creek, Michigan, Calhoun county.

Parents: Mary Smith (preceded in death)
Spouse: Ada (Budd)
Children: Joseph ,6; Paul, 2

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Sunday, January 21, 1945
Death details: On June 21, 2022, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Private First Class Lowell Dalton Smith, missing from World War II. Private First Class Smith entered the U.S. Army from Michigan and served with Company F, 157th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division. On January 21, 1945, he was killed in action against German forces outside the village of Reipertswiller, France. PFC Smith’s remains were not recovered or identified after the war. Recently, DPAA historians conducted a comprehensive review of unresolved casualties from the Battle of Reipertswiller. The review revealed that PFC Smith was one of ten candidates for association with an unidentified set of remains buried at the Lorraine American Cemetery in Saint-Avold, France. The remains were disinterred and accessioned into the DPAA laboratory, where they were identified as those of PFC Smith.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Battle Creek Enquirer (1945)

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Green, Orville Lewis
Navy Reserves Ship’s cook 2nd class

Orville Lewis Green from Battle Creek, Michigan, Calhoun county.

Parents: Alma Jessie Morrison

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Monday, December 18, 1944
Death details: He was aboard the destroyer USS Hull as it operated as part of the Fast Carrier Strike Force in the Philippine Sea. On December 17, 1944, the Hull was participating in refueling operations when the ships of its fueling group were engulfed by Typhoon Cobra. The Hull lost its ability to steer amid the enormous waves and began taking on water. The Hull eventually took on too much water to stay afloat and rolled and sank shortly before noon, on December 18. Sixty-two crew members were rescued, but a little more than two-hundred crew members were lost in the sinking.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

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Flaherty, Francis C.
Navy Reserves Ensign

Francis C. Flaherty, age 22, from Charlotte, Michigan, Calhoun county.

Service era: World War II

Date of death: December 7, 1941

Death details: Died aboard the USS Oklahoma. Accounted for September 30, 2019.

Source: National Archives, Department of Defense

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Whitcomb, Cecil Eugene
Navy Electrician’s mate 3rd class

Cecil Eugene Whitcomb, age 19, from Homer, Michigan, Calhoun county.

Parents: Seth Whitcomb

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Sunday, December 7, 1941
Death details: Killed aboard the USS Arizona. Remains not recovered.
Cemetery: Unaccounted For

Source: National Archives, American Battle Monuments Commission, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Richmond Palladium Item (1991)

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Wright, Chester Albert
Army Private

Chester Albert Wright from Michigan, Calhoun county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Unknown
Death details: On July 11, 1950, the U.S. Army’s 21st Infantry Regiment, which had arrived in Korea six days earlier, was placed in defensive positions near the town of Chochiwon, South Korea. The regiment was not at full strength and lacked artillery and anti-tank weapons. That day, they were attacked by North Korean forces and were forced to withdraw to avoid being surrounded, as well as to buy time until they could be reinforced and resupplied. Corporal Chester Albert Wright, who joined the U.S. Army from Michigan, served with L Company, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He was captured by enemy forces on July 11 during the delaying actions between Pyongtaek and Chochiwon. He was forced to march to the Apex prison camps in North Korea, and died of malnutrition and pneumonia at Hanjang-ni on an unspecified date in January 1951. Although he was buried at the edge of the village, his remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire. Today, Corporal Wright is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency