Hollywood California

Lyon, Donavan Loren
Air Force Lieutenant colonel

Donavan Loren Lyon from Hollywood, California, Los Angeles county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Friday, March 22, 1968
Death details: 

On March 22, 1968, an F-4C Phantom II (tail number 64-0830, call sign “Phantom 82”) with two crew members took off as the second in a flight of two aircraft on a strike mission against enemy targets in Laos. As they completed their second pass over the target, the crew reported they were hit by ground fire coming from a hill south of the target. The flight leader instructed them to mark the hill with rounds from their aircraft cannon, and “Phantom 82” was then seen coming off the target and climbing. Radio contact was established at this time and no sign of difficulty was reported. The flight leader then made his pass over the target, after which he was not able to reestablish radio or visual contact with “Phantom 82.” Other aircraft on the mission searched the area for the “Phantom 82” but found no crash site, and while a rescue beeper was heard, neither of the crew members could be located. After the war, it was discovered the  “Phantom 82” aircraft commander survived the incident and was captured. After return to U.S. custody, he reported the aircraft was hit by enemy anti-aircraft fire and crashed, but he was not sure if the other crew member was able to eject before the aircraft exploded.

Major Donavan Loren Lyon entered the U.S. Air Force from California and served in the 559th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 12th Tactical Fighter Wing. He was the pilot of the F-4C Phantom “Phantom 82” when it crashed, and was the crew member lost along with the aircraft. Attempts to locate his remains have been unsuccessful. Following the incident, the Air Force promoted Maj Lyon to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col). Today, Lieutenant Colonel Lyon is Memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Defrier, Robert Leroy
Army Private 1st class

Robert Leroy Defrier, age 28, from Los Angeles County Hollywood, California .

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, November 30, 1950
Death details: By mid-November 1950, U.S. and Allied forces had advanced to within approximately sixty miles of the Yalu River, the border between North Korea and China. On November 25, approximately 300,000 Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) “volunteers” suddenly and fiercely counterattacked after crossing the Yalu. The 2nd Infantry Division, located the farthest north of units at the Chongchon River, could not halt the CCF advance and was ordered to withdraw to defensive positions at Sunchon in the South Pyongan province of North Korea. As the division pulled back from Kunu-ri toward Sunchon, it conducted an intense rearguard action while fighting to break through well-defended roadblocks set up by CCF infiltrators. The withdrawal was not complete until December 1, and the 2nd Infantry Division suffered extremely heavy casualties in the process. Corporal Robert Leroy DeFrier joined the U.S. Army from California and was a member of Battery C, 38th Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. On November 30, 1950, CPL DeFrier was killed in action against the CCF near Kunu-ri, as his unit made its fighting withdrawal toward Sunchon. His remains were not recovered at the time of loss, and he was not identified among remains returned to U.S. custody after the war. Today, Corporal DeFrier is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. His name is also inscribed on the Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC, which was updated in 2022 to include the names of the fallen.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Los Angeles Times (1950)

Bridgstock, Harold Randall
Navy Radio technician 2

Harold Randall Bridgstock, age 23, from Los Angeles County Hollywood, California .

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Monday, August 6, 1945
Death details: Killed aboard USS Bullhead SS-332 when it was sunk by air attack near the Lombok Strait.

Source: On Eternal Patrol

Lade, Charles Grant
Navy Reserves lt commander

Charles Grant Lade, age 49, from Los Angeles County Hollywood, California .

Spouse: Edna Clara Lade
Children: Charles Grant Lade

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 Commander Charles Grant Lade entered the U.S. Navy from California and served at Cavite Navy Yard, a U.S. Navy ship repair facility located in Manila Bay in the Philippines during World War II. He was taken as a POW following the Japanese invasion and interned in the islands until December 1944, when he was put aboard the Oryoku Maru for transport to Japan. Records indicate LCDR Lade 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. Lieutenant Commander Lade’s remains could not be identified following the war, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Lieutenant Lade is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Los Angeles Times (1945)

Hannigan, George Anthony
Marines Reserves Private

George Anthony Hannigan, age 27, from Hollywood, California, Los Angeles county.

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Monday, November 27, 1944
Death details: From November 20 through 23, 1943, the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy conducted a large-scale amphibious assault on the Japanese-held atoll of Tarawa as part of Operation Galvanic, the Allied capture of the Gilbert Islands. Located 2,500 miles southwest of Hawaii, Tarawa was a crucial stepping stone in the planned U.S. offensive across the central Pacific toward Japan. The Japanese garrison on Tarawa’s main island of Betio was well-entrenched with hundreds of bunkers and gun positions behind formidable beach obstacles. The first wave of Marines approaching the shore encountered lower-than-expected tides, forcing them to leave their landing craft on the reef and wade the hundreds of yards to the beach under intense enemy fire. The heaviest number of U.S. casualties were suffered during this phase of the landing. Eventually, rising tides allowed U.S. warships to maneuver closer to shore and support the troops with effective naval gunfire. More Marines landed on the second day, launching attacks inland from the beaches and seizing the Japanese airfield on the island. However, the enemy launched vicious counterattacks and two more days of intense fighting were needed to secure Betio. The last enemy strongpoints were taken on the morning of November 23. The fighting on Betio cost the Marines nearly 3,000 casualties but enabled U.S. forces to press further across the Pacific and yielded valuable tactical lessons that reduced U.S. losses in future amphibious landings. Private George Anthony Hannigan, who joined the U.S. Marine Corps from California, was a member of Company C, 2nd Tank Battalion, 2nd Marine Division. He was wounded during the Battle of Tarawa on November 20, 1943, and was evacuated to an unspecified area. However, he could not be located at any hospitals or aid stations after the battle, and his remains were never recovered. Attempts to identify him among remains recovered from Tarawa following the war were unsuccessful, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Private Hannigan is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Ball, William David Jr.
Marines Sergeant

William David Jr. Ball, age 21, from Hollywood, California, Los Angeles county.

Parents: Martha J. Ball

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Tuesday, November 21, 1944
Death details: On July 26, 2017, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Sergeant William David Ball Jr., missing from World War II. Sergeant William Ball, who joined the U.S. Marine Corps from California, served with Company B, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division. He was wounded in the arm in the fighting on Betio Island, Tarawa Atoll, on November 20, 1943, and was to be transferred to the USS J. Franklin Bell (APA 16) for treatment. However, his name disappeared from the medical records and he was reported as missing in action. After the war, the remains of U.S. service members buried on Tarawa were disinterred and transported to Hawaii for identification, and those that could not be identified at the time were buried as “unknowns” at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. Later advancements in forensic technology allowed SGT Ball’s remains to be successfully identified from among these Tarawa unknowns.
Cemetery: Tablets of the Missing at Honolulu Memorial

Source: National Archives, American Battle Monuments Commission, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Kern, George Frank
Marines Reserves 2nd lieutenant

George Frank Kern, age 24, from Hollywood, California, Los Angeles county.

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Saturday, November 20, 1943
Death details: From November 20 through 23, 1943, the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy conducted a large-scale amphibious assault on the Japanese-held atoll of Tarawa as part of Operation Galvanic, the Allied capture of the Gilbert Islands. Located 2,500 miles southwest of Hawaii, Tarawa was a crucial stepping stone in the planned U.S. offensive across the central Pacific toward Japan. The Japanese garrison on Tarawa’s main island of Betio was well-entrenched with hundreds of bunkers and gun positions behind formidable beach obstacles. The first wave of Marines approaching the shore encountered lower-than-expected tides, forcing them to leave their landing craft on the reef and wade the hundreds of yards to the beach under intense enemy fire. The heaviest number of U.S. casualties were suffered during this phase of the landing. Eventually, rising tides allowed U.S. warships to maneuver closer to shore and support the troops with effective naval gunfire. More Marines landed on the second day, launching attacks inland from the beaches and seizing the Japanese airfield on the island. However, the enemy launched vicious counterattacks and two more days of intense fighting were needed to secure Betio. The last enemy strongpoints were taken on the morning of November 23. The fighting on Betio cost the Marines nearly 3,000 casualties but enabled U.S. forces to press further across the Pacific and yielded valuable tactical lessons that reduced U.S. losses in future amphibious landings. Second Lieutenant George Frank Kern entered the U.S. Marine Corps from Texas and served in Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division. He was killed in action on November 20, 1943 during the Battle of Tarawa. Second Lieutenant Kern was buried on Betio Island, Cemetery #33, Main Marine Cemetery; however, after the war his remains could not be identified among those disinterred from the island. Second Lieutenant Kern is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Seid, Daniel
Navy Reserves Ensign

Daniel Seid, age 23, from Hollywood, California, Los Angeles county.

Parents: George Seid

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Sunday, February 1, 1942
Death details: Killed in plane crash

Source: National Archives, Los Angeles Times (1942)

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