Promote & Preserve stories of U.S. fallen soldiers/sailors
Ryan L. Crosby, age 39, from Elgin, Illinois.
Parents: Julie McNees
Spouse: Tatiana Crosby (married 19 years)
Children: Annabella, Camilla
Service era: Afghanistan
Date of death: Wednesday, September 8, 2021
Death details: Died from complication from COVID 19.
Source: Defense Department, Altmeyer Funeral Homes
Alex Martinez, age 21, from Elgin, Illinois, Kane county.
Service era: Afghanistan
Military history: 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, California.
Date of death: Thursday, April 5, 2012
Death details: Died while conducting combat operations in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
Dennis Melvin Schultz, age 23, from Elgin, Illinois, Kane county.
Parents: Marvin Schultz
Spouse: Gale Schultz
Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Larkin High (1965)
Military history: Medic unit
Date of death: Saturday, March 28, 1970
Death details: Hostile, killed in South Vietnam
Source: National Archives, Chicago Tribune (1970)
Ervin Philip Gothier, age 19, from Elgin, Illinois, Kane county.
Parents: Alta S. Gothier
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. Sergeant Ervin Philip Gothier joined the U.S. Army from Illinois and was a member of Company L, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. On November 2, 1950, Company L was near Unsan with the 3rd Battalion when the Battalion was hit by an enemy attack and forced to withdraw. Sergeant Gothier went missing during this incident, though specific details surrounding his loss are unknown. His remains were not recovered following the battle and he was not identified among the remains returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire. Today, Sergeant Gothier is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Chicago Tribune (1950)