Daren Allen Smith, age 19, from Helena, Montana, Lewis And Clark county.
Service era: Iraq
Military history: Troop A, 3D Squadron, 89Th Cavalry, 4 Bct, Fort Polk, La
Date of death: Thursday, December 13, 2007
Death details: Baghdad, Iraq
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
Donald Michael Young, age 19, from Helena, Montana, Lewis And Clark county.
Service era: Iraq
Military history: Company B, 1St Battalion, 5Th Cavalry, 2 Bct, Fort Hood, Tx
Date of death: Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Death details: Hostile; Baghdad, Iraq
Source: Department of Defense, findagrave.com
Shane Robert Becker, age 35, from Helena, Montana, Lewis And Clark county.
Service era: Iraq
Military history: Troop A, 1St Squadron, 40Th Cavalry, 4 Bct, Fort Richardson, Alaska
Date of death: Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Death details: Hostile; Baghdad, Iraq
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
Scott Douglas Dykman, age 27, from Helena, Montana, Lewis And Clark county.
Service era: Iraq
Military history: Company A, 1St Battalion, 501St Infantry, Fort Richardson, Ak
Date of death: Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Death details: Hostile; Baghdad, Iraq
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
Michael John Mackinnon, age 30, from Helena, Montana, Lewis And Clark county.
Service era: Iraq
Military history: Company A, 1St Battalion, 184Th Infantry, (Tf Baghdad), Fullerton, Ca
Date of death: Thursday, October 27, 2005
Death details: Hostile; Baghdad, Iraq
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
Richard Hurrell Stube, age 24, from Missoula, Montana, Lewis and Clark county.
Spouse: Gwendolyn (Enid) Stube
Service era: Vietnam
Schools: University of Montana graduate
Date of death: Sunday, September 20, 1970
Death details: Killed when his unit was attacked by mortar shells in Vietnam while leading a relief unit through the jungle to rescue survivors of a downed helicopter.
Source: National Archives, Billings Gazette (1970)
Jack Ishum Dempsey, age 21, from Montana, Lewis and Clark county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Friday, June 17, 1966
Death details: On June 17, 1966, a C-130E Hercules (tail number 63-7785) carrying fourteen service members took off from Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam, en route to Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan. Approximately twenty minutes after take-off, the Hercules exploded for unknown reasons and crashed into the South China Sea. Nearby ships witnessed the incident and quickly arrived on the scene to assist in rescue operations, and recovered the remains of two service members. However, twelve individuals who were aboard the aircraft were lost during the incident and remain unaccounted-for. Yeoman Second Class Jack Ishum Dempsey entered the U.S. Navy from Montana and was a member of Air Transport Squadron 7. He was a crew member aboard this Hercules when it crashed, and his remains could not be recovered following the incident. Today, Yeoman Second Class Dempsey is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. Based on all information available, DPAA assessed the individual’s case to be in the analytical category of Non-recoverable.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Hugh Doran Fricks, age 22, from Helena, Montana, Lewis and Clark county.
Service era: World War II
Military history: D Company, First Battalion, Sixth Marine Regiment, Second Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force
Date of death: Tuesday, November 23, 1943
Death details: On March 16, 2020, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of First Lieutenant Hugh Doran Fricks, missing from World War II. First Lieutenant Fricks, who entered the U.S. Marine Corps from Washington, was a member of Company D, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, which took part in the Battle of Tarawa. On November 23, 1943, he was killed in action on Tarawa, and his remains recovered and buried in Row D at the Gilbert Islands Cemetery (known as Cemetery 33). After the war, his remains could not be identified among those disinterred from Betio. In 2019, History Flight Inc. located a communal burial trench west of Cemetery 33 on Betio, and recovered and turned over the grave’s remains to DPAA. Based on the historical details of the death and burial of 1stLt Fricks, he was associated with one sets of these remains.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
William Francis Taylor, age 20, from Helena, Montana, Lewis and Clark 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. Private First Class William Francis Taylor joined the U.S. Marine Corps from Montana and served in Company K, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division. He was killed in action during the Battle of Tarawa on November 20, 1943, and was buried in Cemetery #11. However, after the war his remains were not recovered, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Private First Class Taylor is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Jerald Fraser Dullum, age 20, from Lewis and Clark County Helena, Montana .
Parents: Eugene Dullum
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Sunday, December 7, 1941
Death details: Killed aboard the USS Arizona
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Associated Press (1943)