Russel Earl Voris, age 23, from Jefferson City, Missouri, Cole county.
Parents: Paul T. Voris
Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Cameron High (1964)
Date of death: Wednesday, June 24, 1970
Death details: Killed in Cambodia after his fighter bomber was hit by hostile gun fire. He was picked up by a rescue helicopter but died enroute to a hospital.
Source: National Archives, Cameron Sun (1970), Springfield News Leader (1970)
Robert W. Meyer, age 17, from Cole County Jefferson City, Missouri .
Parents: Arthur J. and Reva Cordray Meyer
Service era: Korea
Schools: Chamois High and Jefferson City High
Military history: 499th Army Engineers
Date of death: Thursday, August 11, 1955
Death details: Killed in the collision of two Flying Boxcar in Germany.
Source: Associated Press (1955), Jefferson City Post Tribune (1955)
William Walter Jr. Smith from Jefferson City, Missouri, Cole county.
Parents: Pauline Louise Smith
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Monday, December 18, 1944
Death details: He was aboard the destroyer USS Hull as it operated as part of the Fast Carrier Strike Force in the Philippine Sea. On December 17, 1944, the Hull was participating in refueling operations when the ships of its fueling group were engulfed by Typhoon Cobra. The Hull lost its ability to steer amid the enormous waves and began taking on water. The Hull eventually took on too much water to stay afloat and rolled and sank shortly before noon, on December 18. Sixty-two crew members were rescued, but a little more than two-hundred crew members were lost in the sinking.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Ralph W. Heisinger, age 26, from Jefferson City, Missouri, Cole county.
Parents: William Heisinger and Carlena Popp
Spouse: Jeannette (DeWyl)
Service era: World War II
Schools: Jefferson City High (1936), University of Missouri-Columbia (1940)
Military history: Camp Adair, Oregon, Company A, 362nd Infantry Regiment of the 91st Infantry Division
Date of death: Tuesday, September 12, 1944
Death details: Killed in action
Cemetery: Riverview, Jefferson City
Source: National Archives, News Tribune
Wilbert G. Linsenbardt, age 27, from Cole County Jefferson City, Missouri .
Spouse: Louise M. Linsenbardt
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Saturday, December 5, 1942
Death details: In November 1942, the U.S. Army’s 32nd Infantry Division regained control of Buna, Papua New Guinea, with its goal of neutralizing an enemy threat to Port Moresby and, ultimately, to the Australian mainland itself. The rugged terrain that the soldiers faced was fiercely defended by Japanese troops and included tidal swamplands with a labyrinth of camouflaged trenches and bunkers. In December 1942, when the 32nd Infantry Division was reinforced with Australian soldiers, Buna finally fell to the Allies; however, malaria and other tropical diseases contributed to a high number of casualties and deaths for the 32nd Infantry Division. Private First Class Wilbert G. Linsenbardt, who joined the U.S. Army from Missouri, served with Company A, 128th Infantry Regiment, 32nd Infantry Division, in the Pacific Theater. He was killed in action on December 5, 1942, near the Buna Mission, New Guinea, during the Buna-Gona Campaign. Records do not indicate the exact circumstances of his death but state that PFC Linsenbardt and 14 other soldiers were buried near the Buna Mission, approximately 200 yards from shore. After the war, Allied personnel were unable to locate PFC Linsenbardt’s remains. Today, Private First Class Linsenbardt is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Saint Louis Globe Democrat (1943)