Arturo Jr. Lopez, age 20, from El Paso, Texas, El Paso county.
Parents: Arturo Lopez
Spouse: None
Children: None
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Thursday, May 28, 1970
Death details: Killed by a booby trap in Vietnam
Cemetery: Fort Bliss National
Source: National Archives, El Paso Times (1970)
James Raybon Barton, age 39, from El Paso, Texas, El Paso county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Thursday, May 14, 1970
Cemetery: Fort Bliss National
Source: National Archives, Findagrave.com
Steven Joseph Greenlee, age 21, from El Paso, Texas, El Paso county.
Parents: Joseph C. Greenlee
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Saturday, May 2, 1970
Death details: Killed in Cambodia while flying a helicopter on a combat mission.
Cemetery: Fort Bliss National
Source: National Archives, El Pso Times (1970)
Frederick Edward Wortmann, age 22, from El Paso, Texas, El Paso county.
Parents: Harry W. Wortmann
Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Ysleta High, Sul Ross University, University of Texas at El Paso
Date of death: Wednesday, April 29, 1970
Death details: Killed in action in Vietnam
Source: National Archives, El Paso Times (1970)
Jose Jr. Hernandez, age 20, from El Paso, Texas, El Paso county.
Parents: Jose Hernandez
Spouse: Ernestina Hernandez
Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Ysleta High graduate
Date of death: Monday, April 13, 1970
Death details: Died of non-hostile cause in Vietnam
Cemetery: Fort Bliss National
Source: National Archives, UPI (1970), El Paso Times (1970), findagrave.com
Wayne Alden Blomstrom, age 27, from El Paso, Texas, El Paso county.
Parents: Alden A. Blomstrom
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Saturday, April 11, 1970
Death details: Killed in action in Vietnam
Source: National Archives, Associated Press (1970)
Jorge V. Maese, age 20, from El Paso, Texas, El Paso county.
Parents: Benjamin Maese
Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Austin High graduate
Date of death: Monday, March 16, 1970
Death details: Killed in an accident in Vietnam
Source: National Archives, El Paso Herald Post (1970)
Jaime Corona from El Paso, Texas, El Paso county.
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 Jaime Corona entered the U.S. Army from Texas and served with the Heavy Mortar Company, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He was captured on July 16, during the Battle of Kum River, while his unit attempted to withdraw to Taejon. PFC Corona was marched to the Apex prison camps on the southern bank of the Yalu River. Greatly weakened, he made it to the third Apex camp near An-dong, where he died on or about April 24, 1951. Although he was buried by his companions near the edge of the village, his remains have not been identified among those returned to U.S. custody following the conflict. Today, Private First Class Corona is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Damon B. Byfield, age 35, from El Paso County El Paso, Texas .
Parents: Virginia A. Byfield
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 Damon B. Byfield joined the U.S. Army from Texas and served with the 201st Engineer Battalion (Philippine Scouts) in the Philippines during World War II. He was taken as a POW following the Japanese invasion and was interned in the islands until December 1944, when he was put aboard the Oryoku Maru for transport to Japan. Records indicate 1LT Byfield 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 Byfield’s remains were not located or identified following the end of the war, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, First Lieutenant Byfield is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
Source: Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, El Paso Times (1945)
Henry C. Shawver, age 37, from El Paso County El Paso, Texas .
Parents: Charles Shawyver
Spouse: Married
Children: Donnie, 8; Jimmie, 6; Mary Anne, 3
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. Captain Henry C. Shawver, who joined the U.S. Army Air Forces from Texas, served with 19th Air Base Squadron, 20th Air Base Group, in the Philippines during World War II. He was taken as a POW following the Japanese invasion and was interned in the islands until December 1944, when he was put aboard the Oryoku Maru for transport to Japan. Records indicate CPT Shawver 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. His remains were not recovered or identified following the war, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Captain Shawver is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, El Paso Times (1943)