Promote & Preserve stories of U.S. fallen soldiers/sailors
Jeremy Eugene Maresh, age 24, from Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, Carbon county.
Service era: Iraq – Operation Iraqi Freedom
Military history: Battery C, 1st Battalion, 213th Air Defense Artillery, 16th Mp, Spring City, Pennsylvania
Date of death: Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Death details: Baghdad, Iraq
Source: Department of Defense, legacy.com
Samuel Jr. O’Donnell from Weatherly, Pennsylvania, Carbon county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: July 12, 1972
Death details: On July 12, 1972, an F-4E Phantom II (serial number 69-0302) with the call sign “Wolf 8” took off from Ubon Airbase, Thailand, carrying two crew members on a combat mission over North Vietnam. The last radio contact received from “Wolf 8” was on its approach to the target area. The aircraft failed to return to base and radio contact was never re-established, and a search and rescue operation was launched. The search continued for three days but failed to locate the missing aircraft or its two crew members. Later investigations eventually found that “Wolf 8” had crashed in the waters of the Cua Nghe reservoir, and recovered the navigator’s remains from a burial site in a nearby pasture. The pilot is still unaccounted for.
Captain Samuel O’Donnell Jr. entered the U.S. Air Force from Pennsylvania and was a member of the 433rd Tactical Fighter Squadron. He was the navigator aboard this Phantom II when it went missing, and he could not be located following the incident. Captain O’Donnell is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Anthony Robert Giannangeli, age 41, from Lansford, Pennsylvania, Carbon county.
Spouse: Mary Lou Giannangeli
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: April 2, 1972
Death details: On April 2, 1972, an EB-66 Destroyer (tail number 54-0466, call sign “Bat 21”) with six crew members took off from Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base for an electronic countermeasures mission over South Vietnam. While over the target area, an escort aircraft saw a surface-to-air missile (SAM) explode near “Bat 21,” after which the aircraft began trailing flames from both wings. “Bat 21” then broke into pieces and crashed. No parachutes were witnessed, although one rescue beeper was heard resulting in one crew member being rescued following the crash. The survivor reported the SAM had exploded below and behind the aircraft. The other five crew members are believed to have died in the incident and their remains were not recovered.
Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Robert Giannangeli entered the U.S. Air Force from Pennsylvania and served in the 42nd Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron, 388th Tactical Fighter Wing. He was an electronic warfare officer aboard “Bat 21” when it was shot down. Attempts to locate and recover his remains were unsuccessful. Following the incident, the Air Force promoted Lt Col Giannangeli to the rank of Colonel (Col). Today, Colonel Giannangeli is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Washington Times, Defense POW/MIA Accouting Ageny
Zino Mario Pampanin from Pennsylvania, Carbon county.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Thursday, June 11, 1953
Death details: Late at night on June 10, 1953, Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) launched an attack against an important American outpost known as “Outpost Harry,” which commanders had deemed a “major outpost…to be held at all costs.” Following hours of intense bombardment, Chinese infantry attacked the American trench lines in front of the outpost. The CCF succeeded in capturing the trenches but intense hand-to-hand combat kept the CCF from advancing farther. Attacks persisted through the next day and late into June 11. By the morning of June 12, the Chinese forces withdrew. Similar assaults continued on “Outpost Harry” through the next week. Master Sergeant Zino Mario Pampanin entered the U.S. Army from Pennsylvania and served in Company E, 2nd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. He went missing during the CCF attack on “Outpost Harry,” though specific details regarding his loss are unknown. No one saw him fall and there is no evidence suggesting he was alive in enemy hands. Attempts to recover or identify his remains were unsuccessful. Today, Master Sergeant Pampanin is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Daniel J. Vaccaro, age 22, from Pennsylvania, Carbon county.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Sunday, December 3, 1950
Death details: On the evening of November 27, 1950, Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) launched a massive attack against the U.S. and United Nations (UN) troops stationed in the Chosin Reservoir area in north-east North Korea. The resulting seventeen-day conflict became known as the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. At the time of the initial CCF attack, members of the U.S. Army’s 31st and 32nd Infantry Regiments were defending the area north of Sinhung-ni, on the east side of the reservoir. The defenders were overwhelmed by the numerically superior CCF, and on December 1 were forced to withdraw to friendly lines at Hagaru-ri. Many men were lost or captured during the withdraw, with survivors reaching friendly lines in Hagaru-ri on December 2 and 3. Once at Hagaru-ri, the survivors of the withdrawal manned a section of the perimeter near East Hill, a strong defensive position overlooking the town. On the night of December 3, the Chinese attacked the Hagaru-ri perimeter and overwhelmed the defenders there. Many Americans were killed or went missing during these actions. Corporal Daniel J. Vaccaro, who joined the U.S. Army from Pennsylvania, served with L Company, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was killed in action on December 3, when the CCF attacked his unit at the defensive perimeter surrounding Hagaru-ri. The conditions on the battlefield prevented the immediate retreival of his body, and after the war his remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody. Today Corporal Vaccaro is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
William Leonard Bengtson, age 18, from Pennsylvania, Carbon county.
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. First Lieutenant William Leonard Bengtson, who joined the U.S. Army from Pennsylvania, was a member of Company B of the 2nd Chemical Mortar Battalion. In late October of 1950, 1LT Bengtson and Company B were stationed in the Unsan area to support ROK forces in the region. After midnight on November 1, his unit was forced to withdraw to avoid encirclement by the enemy; however, Company B was unable to withdraw, and most of its members were captured or went missing during the action. First Lieutenant Bengtson was among those who went missing. A POW who returned in 1953 had heard from other members of the unit that First Lieutenant Bengtson had been killed during the battle. He was never seen alive in enemy custody, and his remains were not recovered or identified following the war. Today, First Lieutenant Bengtson is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Thomas D. Crabtree, age 42, from Carbon County Audenried, Pennsylvania .
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Tuesday, January 9, 1945
Death details: On December 13, 1944, Japanese forces in the Philippines began the transfer of 1,621 Allied prisoners of war (POWs) to Japan. The POWs were to make the journey aboard transport ships whose harsh conditions and extreme overcrowding led survivors to refer to them as “Hell Ships.” The ships also lacked markings that would distinguish them from any other military target, causing some of them to be attacked by Allied forces who could not identify them as POW transports. On December 14, 1944, Allied aircraft attacked the first ship, the Oryoku Maru, in Subic Bay in the Philippines, killing many Allied POWs who became lost in the water, sank with the ship, or were washed ashore. Survivors of the bombing were put aboard two other ships, the Enoura Maru and the Brazil Maru, to continue on to Japan. During the journey, while anchored in Takao Harbor, Formosa (present-day Taiwan), the Enoura Maru was attacked by Allied aircraft from the USS Hornet (CV-8), killing Allied POWs who were lost in the water, on board the ship, or on the nearby shore. Survivors of the Enoura Maru bombing were loaded onto the Brazil Maru, and reached Japan on January 30, 1945. As a result of these incidents, Allied POWs were lost in the Philippines, at sea between the Philippines and Taiwan, while anchored in Taiwan, at sea between Taiwan and Japan, and in Japan. The attacks on these POW transports ultimately resulted in a series of death notifications from the Japanese government through the International Red Cross (IRC), and some casualties were given up to five different dates of death at various locations during the transfer. Witness accounts from surviving POWs offer detailed information for a handful of casualties, but the specific dates of loss and/or last-known locations for many of these POWs are based on the most recent reported date of death. First Lieutenant Thomas D. Crabtree, who entered the U.S. Army from Pennsylvania, served with the 14th Engineer Regiment (Philippine Scouts) and was stationed in the Philippines at the time of the Japanese invasion. He was captured by Japanese forces and interned in the islands until December 1944, when he was put aboard the Oryoku Maru for transport to Japan. Records indicate 1LT Crabtree was killed several weeks later in the attack on the Enoura Maru; however, these reports often involve information solely furnished by enemy governments, with some casualties given multiple dates of death. Future research may determine that these reports were inaccurate. 1LT Crabtree’s remains could not be identified following the war, and he is still unaccounted for. Today, First Lieutenant Crabtree is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Plain Speaker 91947)
Leo J. Barlosky from Pennsylvania, Carbon county.
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Monday, July 27, 1942
Death details: On September 27, 2022, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Corporal Leo J. Barlosky, missing from World War II. Corporal Barlosky entered the U.S. Army from Pennsylvania and served in the 7th Chemical Company, Aviation. After Japanese forces invaded the Philippines in December 1941, intense fighting continued until the surrender of U.S. forces on the Bataan peninsula on April 9, 1942, and Corregidor Island on May 6. CPL Barlosky was among the U.S. personnel who surrendered in Bataan. These prisoners were then subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and held in inhumane conditions at the Cabanatuan POW camp. According to prison camp and other historical records, CPL Barlosky died July 27, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 225. Following the war, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel exhumed those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery and relocated the remains to a temporary U.S. military mausoleum near Manila. In 1947, the AGRS examined the remains in an attempt to identify them. Three sets of remains from Common Grave 225 were identified, but the rest were declared unidentifiable. The unidentified remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM) as Unknowns. In early 2018, the remains associated with Common Grave 225 were disinterred and sent to the DPAA laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, for study. The laboratory analysis and the totality of the circumstantial evidence available established an association between one set of these unknown remains and CPL Barlosky.
Cemetery: Tablets of the Missing at Manila
Source: National Archives, American Battle Monuments Commission, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Wesly Garland from Lansford, Pennsylvania, Carbon county.
Service era: World War I
Date of death: Thursday, October 17, 1918
Death details: Died of wounds
Source: Soldiers of the Great War, findagrave.com
Franck Ferraro from Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania, Carbon county.
Service era: World War I
Date of death: Thursday, September 12, 1918
Death details: Killed in action
Cemetery: Saint Mihiel American
Source: Soldiers of the Great War, findagrave.com, findagrave.com