Leroy Jr Segura, age 23, from Clovis, New Mexico, Curry county.
Service era: Iraq
Military history: 362D Engineer Company, 54Th Engineer Battalion, Fort Benning, Ga
Date of death: Friday, August 4, 2006
Death details: Habbaniyah, Iraq
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
Ruben Rubio, age 21, from New Mexico, Curry county.
Parents: Carlos Rubio
Service era: Vietnam
Military history: 198th Light Infantry Bridgade
Date of death: Tuesday, July 6, 1971
Death details: Killed in action in Vietnam
Source: National Archives, UPI (1971)
Jimmy Ross Hohstadt, age 21, from Clovis, New Mexico, Curry county.
Service era: Vietnam
Military history: 35th Infantry Regiment
Date of death: Monday, October 9, 1967
Death details: Killed by small arms fire, Quang Tin Province
Source: National Archives, 35th Infantry Regiment Association
John Cline Luikart, age 59, from Curry County Clovis, New Mexico .
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. Lieutenant Colonel John Cline Luikart, who joined the U.S. Army from New Mexico, served with the 515th Coast Artillery in the Philippines. He was captured by Japanese forces during their invasion of the islands and interned until December 1944, when he was put aboard the Oryoku Maru for transport to Japan. Records indicate LTC Luikart 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. LTC Luikart’s remains could not be identified following the war, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Lieutenant Colonel Luikart is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Sam A. Prince from New Mexico, Curry county.
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Tuesday, September 22, 1942
Death details: Following the Allied surrender on the Bataan Peninsula on April 9, 1942, the Japanese began the forcible transfer of American and Filipino prisoners of war to various prison camps in central Luzon, at the northern end of the Philippines. The largest of these camps was the notorious Cabanatuan Prison Camp. At its peak, Cabanatuan held approximately 8,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war that were captured during and after the Fall of Bataan. Camp overcrowding worsened with the arrival of Allied prisoners who had surrendered from Corregidor on May 6, 1942. Conditions at the camp were poor, with food and water extremely limited, leading to widespread malnutrition and outbreaks of malaria and dysentery. By the time the camp was liberated in early 1945, approximately 2,800 Americans had died at Cabanatuan. Prisoners were forced to bury the dead in makeshift communal graves, often completed without records or markers. As a result, identifying and recovering remains interred at Cabanatuan was difficult in the years after the war. Sergeant Sam A. Prince entered the U.S. Army from New Mexico and served with Headquarters Company, 200th Coast Artillery Regiment in the Philippines during World War II. The 200th Coast Artillery Regiment arrived in the Philippines in September 1941, and was stationed at Fort Stotsenburg on Clark Air Base. After Japanese forces invaded the Philippines in December, the 200th was ordered to the Bataan Peninsula where they participated in the defense of Bataan. Sergeant Prince was with his unit when Allied troops in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese on April 9, 1942. He and the other surviving members of his unit were forced on the Bataan Death March and ultimately interned at the Cabanatuan Prison Camp, where he died of diphtheria, malaria, and dysentery on September 22, 1942. He was buried in a communal grave in the camp cemetery along with other deceased American POWs; however, his remains could not be associated with any remains recovered from Cabanatuan after the war. Today, Sergeant Prince is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Douglas W. Miller from New Mexico, Curry county.
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Thursday, July 23, 1942
Death details: Following the Allied surrender on the Bataan Peninsula on April 9, 1942, the Japanese began the forcible transfer of American and Filipino prisoners of war to various prison camps in central Luzon, at the northern end of the Philippines. The largest of these camps was the notorious Cabanatuan Prison Camp. At its peak, Cabanatuan held approximately 8,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war that were captured during and after the Fall of Bataan. Camp overcrowding worsened with the arrival of Allied prisoners who had surrendered from Corregidor on May 6, 1942. Conditions at the camp were poor, with food and water extremely limited, leading to widespread malnutrition and outbreaks of malaria and dysentery. By the time the camp was liberated in early 1945, approximately 2,800 Americans had died at Cabanatuan. Prisoners were forced to bury the dead in makeshift communal graves, often completed without records or markers. As a result, identifying and recovering remains interred at Cabanatuan was difficult in the years after the war. Private First Class Douglas W. Miller joined the U.S. Army from New Mexico and was a member of the 200th Coast Artillery Regiment in the Philippines during World War II. He was captured following the American surrender and interned at the Cabanatuan Prison Camp in Nueva Ecija Province, where he died of malaria on July 23, 1942. He was buried in a communal grave in the camp cemetery along with other deceased American POWs; however, his remains could not be associated with any remains recovered from Cabanatuan after the war. Today, Private First Class Miller is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Joe Schovanec, age 19, from New Mexico, Curry county.
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Friday, July 17, 1942
Death details: Following the Allied surrender on the Bataan Peninsula on April 9, 1942, the Japanese began the forcible transfer of American and Filipino prisoners of war to various prison camps in central Luzon, at the northern end of the Philippines. The largest of these camps was the notorious Cabanatuan Prison Camp. At its peak, Cabanatuan held approximately 8,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war that were captured during and after the Fall of Bataan. Camp overcrowding worsened with the arrival of Allied prisoners who had surrendered from Corregidor on May 6, 1942. Conditions at the camp were poor, with food and water extremely limited, leading to widespread malnutrition and outbreaks of malaria and dysentery. By the time the camp was liberated in early 1945, approximately 2,800 Americans had died at Cabanatuan. Prisoners were forced to bury the dead in makeshift communal graves, often completed without records or markers. As a result, identifying and recovering remains interred at Cabanatuan was difficult in the years after the war. Private First Class Joe Schovanec entered the U.S. Army from New Mexico and served with Battery E of the 200th Coast Artillery Regiment in the Philippines during World War II. The 200th Coast Artillery Regiment arrived in the Philippines in September 1941, and was stationed at Fort Stotsenburg on Clark Air Base. After Japanese forces invaded the Philippines in December, the 200th was ordered to the Bataan Peninsula where they participated in the defense of Bataan. Private First Class Schovanec was with his unit when Allied troops in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese on April 9, 1942. He and the other surviving members of his unit were forced on the Bataan Death March and ultimately interned at the Cabanatuan Prison Camp, where PFC Schovanec died of malaria and dysentery on July 17, 1942. He was buried in a communal grave in the camp cemetery along with other deceased American POWs; however, his remains could not be associated with any remains recovered from Cabanatuan after the war. Today, Private First Class Schovanec is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
John D. Moss from New Mexico, Curry county.
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Saturday, July 11, 1942
Death details: Following the Allied surrender on the Bataan Peninsula on April 9, 1942, the Japanese began the forcible transfer of American and Filipino prisoners of war to various prison camps in central Luzon, at the northern end of the Philippines. The largest of these camps was the notorious Cabanatuan Prison Camp. At its peak, Cabanatuan held approximately 8,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war that were captured during and after the Fall of Bataan. Camp overcrowding worsened with the arrival of Allied prisoners who had surrendered from Corregidor on May 6, 1942. Conditions at the camp were poor, with food and water extremely limited, leading to widespread malnutrition and outbreaks of malaria and dysentery. By the time the camp was liberated in early 1945, approximately 2,800 Americans had died at Cabanatuan. Prisoners were forced to bury the dead in makeshift communal graves, often completed without records or markers. As a result, identifying and recovering remains interred at Cabanatuan was difficult in the years after the war. Corporal John D. Moss joined the U.S. Army from New Mexico and was a member of the 515th Coast Artillery Regiment in the Philippines during World War II. He was captured in Bataan following the American surrender on April 9, 1942, and died of dysentery on July 11, 1942, at the Cabanatuan Prison Camp in Nueva Ecija Province. He was buried in a communal grave in the camp cemetery along with other deceased American POWs; however, his remains could not be associated with any remains recovered from Cabanatuan after the war. Today, Corporal Moss is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Oscar A. Ruckman, age 23, from New Mexico, Curry county.
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Saturday, July 4, 1942
Death details: Following the Allied surrender on the Bataan Peninsula on April 9, 1942, the Japanese began the forcible transfer of American and Filipino prisoners of war to various prison camps in central Luzon, at the northern end of the Philippines. The largest of these camps was the notorious Cabanatuan Prison Camp. At its peak, Cabanatuan held approximately 8,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war that were captured during and after the Fall of Bataan. Camp overcrowding worsened with the arrival of Allied prisoners who had surrendered from Corregidor on May 6, 1942. Conditions at the camp were poor, with food and water extremely limited, leading to widespread malnutrition and outbreaks of malaria and dysentery. By the time the camp was liberated in early 1945, approximately 2,800 Americans had died at Cabanatuan. Prisoners were forced to bury the dead in makeshift communal graves, often completed without records or markers. As a result, identifying and recovering remains interred at Cabanatuan was difficult in the years after the war. Sergeant Oscar A. Ruckman entered the U.S. Army from New Mexico, served in Battery E of the 200th Coast Artillery Regiment in the Philippines during World War II. He was captured following the American surrender forced on the Bataan Death March before his eventual internment at the Cabanatuan Prison Camp, where he died of malaria on July 4, 1942. He was buried in a communal grave in the camp cemetery along with other deceased American POWs; however, his remains could not be associated with any remains recovered from Cabanatuan after the war. Today, Sergeant Ruckman is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Calvin E. Whitley, age 25, from New Mexico, Curry county.
Service era: World War II
Military history: 200 Coast Artillery Regiment
Date of death: Wednesday, June 3, 1942
Death details: Following the Allied surrender on the Bataan Peninsula on April 9, 1942, the Japanese began the forcible transfer of American and Filipino prisoners of war to various prison camps in central Luzon, at the northern end of the Philippines. The largest of these camps was the notorious Cabanatuan Prison Camp. At its peak, Cabanatuan held approximately 8,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war that were captured during and after the Fall of Bataan. Camp overcrowding worsened with the arrival of Allied prisoners who had surrendered from Corregidor on May 6, 1942. Conditions at the camp were poor, with food and water extremely limited, leading to widespread malnutrition and outbreaks of malaria and dysentery. By the time the camp was liberated in early 1945, approximately 2,800 Americans had died at Cabanatuan. Prisoners were forced to bury the dead in makeshift communal graves, often completed without records or markers. As a result, identifying and recovering remains interred at Cabanatuan was difficult in the years after the war. Private Calvin E. Whitley joined the U.S. Army from New Mexico and served with the 200th Coast Artillery Regiment in the Philippines during World War II. He was captured following the American surrender and forced on the Bataan Death March before his ultimate internment at the Cabanatuan Prison Camp in Nueva Ecija Province, where he died of dysentery on June 3, 1942. Private Whitley’s name did not appear on either the Cabanatuan Aplha Roster or the Cabanatuan Roster of Burials, and he was likely buried in an isolated grave. His remains could not be associated with any of those recovered from Cabanatuan after the war. Today, Private Whitley is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency