James M. Brophy, age 36, from Staatsburg, New York.
Spouse: Erica
Children: Son, 4; daughter, 1
School: Franklin D. Roosevelt High graduate
Service era: Afghanistan
Date of death: Thursday, December 6, 2018
Death details: Killed in a plane crash off the coast of Japen
Source: NBC News, Poughkeepsie Journal
Trevor Jon Yurista, age 32, from Pleasant Valley, New York, Dutchess county.
Service era: Iraq
Military history: Hq Co, 5Th Mar, (2D Bn, 7Th Mar), 1St Mar Div, Camp Pendleton, Ca
Date of death: Monday, October 27, 2008
Death details: Hostile; Helmand Province, Afghanistan
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
Mark Charles Palmateer, age 38, from Poughkeepsie, New York, Dutchess county.
Service era: Iraq
Military history: Troop B, 2D Squadron, 101St Cavalry, Jamestown, Ny
Date of death: Thursday, June 26, 2008
Death details: Hostile; Vicinity Of Fob Shank, Afghanistan
Source: Department of Defense, Legacy
Eric A. Hamm from Fishkill, New York, Dutchess county.
Service era: Gulf War
Date of death: Friday, October 14, 1994
Death details: Killed when A-6E “”Intruder”” from VA-115 crashed during a low level training route over Yoshinogawa River on the island of Shikoku, Japan
Cemetery: Saint Joachim’s in Beacon, New York
Source: U.S. Navy, Poughkeepsie Journal (1994)
Joseph William McDonald from Wappingers Falls, New York, Dutchess county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: May 3, 1972
Death details: On May 3, 1972, an A-6A Intruder (bureau number 155709, call sign “Bengal 510”) with two crew members launched from the aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea (CVA 43) to take part in a two-plane strike mission against enemy targets near Dong Hoi, North Vietnam. The two aircraft proceeded to the target area and conducted their strike without enemy reaction. However, during egress from the target area, the lead aircraft on the flight lost radio contact with “Bengal 510” and could not re-establish communications. “Bengal 510” failed to return to the Coral Sea. Search and rescue efforts were unable to locate the aircraft, a crash site, or the crew. The remains of one crew member were subsequently returned to U.S. custody and identified, but the other remains unaccounted for. First Lieutenant Joseph William McDonald, who entered the U.S. Marine Corps from New York, served with Marine Attack Squadron 224 and was the pilot aboard “Bengal 510” at the time of its loss. His remains have not been recovered. Following the incident, the Marine Corps promoted 1st Lt McDonald to the rank of the Major (Maj). Today, Major McDonald is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Theodore L. Cadenhead, age 22, from Pleasant Valley, New York, Dutchess county.
Parents: Charles and Pearl (Parks) Cadenhead
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Tuesday, March 10, 1970
Death details: Non-hostile, South Vietnam
Source: National Archives, Poughkeepsie Journal (1970)
John Jay Bennett, age 48, from Beacon, New York, Dutchess county.
Parents: Kenneth L. Bennett
Spouse: Kathleen
Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Beacon High (164, New York State Maritime Academy and Lowell Technical Institute
Military history: 43rd Signal Battallion, Signal Corps
Date of death: Monday, March 2, 1970
Death details: Killed by an explosion after entering a building that reportedly was cleared in Vietnam.
Source: National Archives, Poughkeepsie Journal (1970)
Daniel Morris Jr. Martz, age 37, from Dutchess County Wappinger, New York .
Spouse: Ayako Martz
Children: Dannie, 14; James, 13; Lorraine, 10, Robert, 8; John, 6
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Saturday, February 12, 1966
Death details: Died in South Vietnam from a chest wound suffered during an ambush.
Source: National Archives, Poughkeepsie Journal (1966)
William Alfred Shaffer, age 22, from New York, Dutchess county.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Monday, April 23, 1951
Death details: On April 22, 1951, elements of the 24th Infantry Division along with the 5th Regimental Combat Team (RCT) were dug into positions near Seoul, South Korea, where the Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) had regrouped and begun a large-scale effort to penetrate the valley areas east of Seoul. Just prior to the main CCF offensive, the 5th RCT was executing part of a blocking action known as Operation Dauntless, in which its 1st and 2nd Battalions launched an attack against CCF forces in the Chorwon Valley to the north. They pushed the enemy out of the area and set up defensive positions, but the CCF soon regrouped and returned with a massive counterattack. While this assault was repelled, heavy pressure over the next eight days forced the 24th Infantry Division, along with the 5th RCT, to gradually fall back to stronger positions. The U.S. units suffered heavy casualties over the course of the fighting and withdrawal. Private First Class William Alfred Shaffer, who joined the U.S. Army from New York, served with H Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment (a component of the 5th Regimental Combat Team), 24th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on April 23, 1951, near the village of Udam-jang, South Korea. After the war, former prisoners of war reported that PFC Shaffer had been captured and was last seen at the Suan POW Camp in North Korea; however, his remains have not been identified among those returned to U.S. custody. Today, Private First Class Shaffer is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Howard Elliott O’Dell, age 30, from Dutchess County Poughkeepsie, New York .
Parents: Raymond C. O’Dell
Spouse: Married
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Wednesday, July 19, 1950
Death details: On April 29, 2025, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of U.S. Air Force Capt. Howard Elliot Odell, missing from the Korean War. Odell entered the service from New York and was a member of the 36th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, 8th Fighter-Bomber Group. On July 19, 1950, he piloted an F-80C Shooting Star (tail number 49-698A) on a combat mission near Taejon, Republic of Korea. Odell led a four-aircraft flight to intercept enemy aircraft attacking the Taejon Airstrip. During the engagement, Odell’s F-80C sustained damage and he was forced to attempt a landing at Taejon, but the aircraft struck the ground and exploded. Odell’s remains could not be recovered at the time because the airstrip was also under ground attack, and U.S. forces withdrew from the area the next day. On Oct. 3, 1950, after the area was again under Allied control, U.S. personnel recovered a set of remains near Taejon. The remains could not be identified with the technology available at the time and were interred at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP) in Honolulu, Hawaii. In November 2019, the DPAA disinterred this set of remains as part of an ongoing project to identify Korean War Unknowns buried at the NMCP. The remains were transferred to the DPAA laboratory where scientists used modern forensic techniques to identify Odell.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency