Dauphin County Pennsylvania

King, Martin Allen
Army Private

Martin Allen King from Pennsylvania, Dauphin county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, November 2, 1950
Death details: On September 16, 2015, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Corporal Martin Allen King, missing from the Korean War. Corporal King entered the U.S. Army from Pennsylvania and served with Company E, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. On November 2, 1950, his unit was occupying a position along the Nammyon River near Unsan, North Korea, when the area was overrun by Chinese Communist Forces. He was captured by the enemy during this action and marched to prisoner of war (POW) camps in North Korea. CPL King died from malnutrition on April 12, 1951, at Pyoktong POW Camp 5, North Korea, and his remains were buried at the camp. Between 1990 and 1994, the North Korean government returned commingled human remains to U.S. custody. Some of these remains were recovered from the area where CPL King was believed to have died, and U.S. analysts were able to use modern technology to successfully identify CPL King from these remains.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Stuck, Kenneth Richard
Army Private 1st class

Kenneth Richard Stuck, age 20, from Hummelstown, Pennsylvania, Dauphin county.

Parents: Mionnie Stuck

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, November 2, 1950
Death details: On January 8, 2016, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Corporal Kenneth Richard Stuck, missing from the Korean War. Corporal Stuck joined the U.S. Army from Pennsylvania and was a member of Company L, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. On the night of November 1-2, 1950, Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) attacked U.S. and Republic of Korea forces near Unsan, North Korea, forcing a withdrawal to the south. CPL Stuck’s Company L was part of the screening force that defended the withdrawal route, and he went missing during the fighting against the CCF. CPL Stuck was never reported to be a prisoner of war, and he was not seen or heard from again. In November 1993, the North Korean government returned to U.S. custody a large set of remains they reportedly recovered from the Unsan area. In 2016, advances in forensic techniques enabled the identification of CPL Stuck from among the returned remains.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Philadelphia Inquirer (1954)

Sukley, Peter Paul
Army Private 1st class

Peter Paul Sukley, age 19, from Pennsylvania, Dauphin county.

Parents: Joseph J. Sukley

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. Corporal Peter Paul Sukley joined the U.S. Army from Pennsylvania and was a member of Company K of the 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. On November 2, 1950, Company K was part of a group of U.S. Army units in defensive positions near the village of Unsan. The 8th Cavalry Regiment was cut off from its allies during a CCF surprise attack there and, despite fierce resistance, were forced to withdraw. It was during this time that CPL Sukley went missing, though circumstances surrounding his loss are unknown. He has not been identified among any remains returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire. Today, Corporal Sukley is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Philadelphia Inquirer (1954)

Motter, Jess H.
Army Private

Jess H. Motter from Pennsylvania, Dauphin county.

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Tuesday, September 29, 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 Jess H. Motter joined the U.S. Army from Pennsylvania and served with the 680th Ordnance Company in the Philippines during World War II. He was captured on Corregidor Island following the American surrender on May 6, 1942, and died of beriberi on September 29, 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 of those recovered from Cabanatuan after the war. Today, Private Motter is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Wampler, Donald L.
Army Sergeant

Donald L. Wampler, age 20, from Pennsylvania, Dauphin county.

Service era: World War II
Military history: 429 Signal Company (Aviation)

Date of death: Saturday, July 25, 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 Donald L. Wampler entered the U.S. Army from Pennsylvania and served with 54th Signal Maintenance Company in the Philippines during World War II. He was captured on Corregidor Island following the American surrender on May 6, 1942, and died of dysentery on July 25, 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, Sergeant Wampler is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Koppenheffer, D. C.
Army Corporal

D. C. Koppenheffer from Pennsylvania, Dauphin county.

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Wednesday, July 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 and food and water supplied 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 George L. Koppenhaver entered the U.S. Army from Pennsylvania and served with Company D of the 31st Infantry Regiment in the Philippines during World War II. He was captured in Bataan following the American surrender and died of diphtheria on July 13, 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, Private Koppenhaver is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Emerson, Ralph W.
Army Corporal

Ralph W. Emerson from Pennsylvania, Dauphin 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 and food and water supplied 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 Ralph W. Emerson joined the U.S. Army Air Forces from Pennsylvania and served with Headquarters Squadron, 24th Pursuit Group in the Philippines during World War II. He was captured in Bataan following the American surrender and died of dysentery and malaria on July 4, 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 Emerson is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Whitmore, George Jr.
Army Private

George Jr. Whitmore, age 23, from Pennsylvania, Dauphin county.

Service era: World War II
Military history: 34 Pursuit Squadron 24 Pursuit Group

Date of death: Wednesday, July 1, 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 George Whitmore Jr. joined the U.S. Army Air Forces from Pennsylvania and served with the 34th Pursuit Squadron, 24th Pursuit Group in the Philippines during World War II. The 34th was stationed at Del Carmen Field on Luzon Island when the Japanese attacked U.S. military bases in the Pacific in December 1941. After the Japanese destroyed the unit’s aircraft on the ground at Del Carmen, the men of the 34th served as infantry during the Battle of Bataan. When U.S. troops in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese on April 9, 1941, they were forced on the Bataan Death March. They went first to Camp O’Donnell in Tarlac Province and from there to the Cabanatuan Prison Camp in Nueva Ecija, where Private Whitmore died of dysentery and malaria on July 1, 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 Whitmore is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Shiley, Paul Eugene
Navy Seaman 1st class

Paul Eugene Shiley, age 19, from Dauphin County Wisconisco, Pennsylvania .

Parents: Lester Ruben Shiley

Service era: World War II

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

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Harrisburg Telegraph (1943)

Genslider, Ada
Corporal

Ada Genslider, age 22, from Dauphin County Harrisburg, Pennsylvania .

Service era: World War I

Date of death: Thursday, January 16, 1919
Death details: Died of disease

Source: Soldiers of the Great War

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