Lewis County Washington

Groth, James
Army Private 1st class

James Groth, age 22, from Ethal, Washington.

Spouse: Jordan Nicole Groth (June 2013)
Children: None

Parents: Wayne and Billie Groth

Service era: Afghanistan
Schools: Toledo High (2010)
Military history: Enlisted in 2012; Bravo Battery, 3rd Battalion, 321st Field Artillery Regiment at Fort Bragg.

Date of death: Friday, February 21, 2014
Death details: Killed in a training accident at Fort Bragg. The accident happened when crew members attempted to ram a second round into the howitzer before the previous round cleared the tube, causing an explosion.

Source: WTVD-TV; Centralia Chronicle, Military Times, Daily Chronicle

Bier, Joseph Phillip
Marines Corporal

Joseph Phillip Bier, age 22, from Centralia, Washington, Lewis county.

Service era: Iraq
Military history: L Co, 3D Bn, 7Th Mar, (2-28 Bct, 2D Mardiv), 1St Mardiv, Twentynine Palms, Ca

Date of death: Wednesday, December 7, 2005
Death details: Hostile; Ar Ramadi, Iraq

Source: Department of Defense, Military Times

Lester, Roderick Barnum
Navy Lieutenant commander

Roderick Barnum Lester, age 26, from Morton, Washington, Lewis county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Sunday, August 20, 1972
Death details:  On August 20, 1972, an A-6A Intruder (bureau number: 157018, call sign: “Vice Roy 502”) carrying two crew members launched from the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk (CVA 63) on a nighttime armed reconnaissance mission along Route 183 near Cam Pha, Quang Ninh Province, North Vietnam. During the mission, the aircraft was intermittently tracked along its flight path by friendly radar. After the last radar contact, a radio transmission from the Intruder’s crew stated, “Let’s get the hell out of here.” Other pilots on the mission felt the transmission indicated the aircraft was aborting from its planned flight path because of enemy fire in the area. At the same time, another flight crew observed a flash of light coming from the Intruder’s direction; however, inclement weather made it difficult to determine the light source. Enemy fire was also noticed in the vicinity of (GC) 48Q YJ 859 242, which is considered the aircraft’s loss location. Searches were conducted and discovered an oil slick in the vicinity of (GC) 48Q YJ 975 335, but were unable to locate the aircraft and its two crew members.

Lieutenant (LT) Roderick Barnum Lester entered the U.S. Navy from Washington and was a member of Attack Squadron 52, embarked aboard the Kitty Hawk. He was the pilot of this Intruder when it went missing and was lost with the aircraft. He remains unaccounted for. Subsequent to the incident, and while carried in the status of missing in action (MIA), the U.S. Navy promoted Lt Lester to the rank Lieutenant Commander (LCDR). Today, LCDR Lester 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

Dailey, David Leon
Army Private 1st class

David Leon Dailey, age 19, from Vader, Washington, Lewis county.

Parents: Mae E. Dailey

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Wednesday, May 20, 1970
Death details: Killed in action

Source: National Archives, Assocaited Press (1970)

Powers, John Roger
Army Sergeant

John Roger Powers, age 23, from Chehalis, Washington, Lewis county.

Spouse: None
Children: None

Service era: Vietnam
Schools: W. F. West High in Chebalis (1965), Columbia Christian College in Portland

Date of death: Saturday, April 25, 1970
Death details: Died of wounds received in combat in Vietnam
Cemetery: Claquato in Chehalis

Source: National Archives, findagrave.com, Centralia Daily Chronicle (1970)

Price, David Stanley
Air Force Sergeant

David Stanley Price, age 33, from Centralia, Washington, Lewis county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Monday, March 11, 1968
Death details: On March 11, 1968, North Vietnamese soldiers conducted a sapper attack against a U.S. Air Force Tactical Air Navigation system, designated Lima Site 85 in Houaphan Province, Laos, also referred to as Phou Pha Thi. The enemy attacked very early in the morning, using grenades and mortars, and eventually killing eleven U.S. Air Force personnel. Nine Americans were later rescued from the site, one who was wounded and then later died of his injuries before he reached the evacuation base. Sergeant David Stanley Price, who joined the U.S. Air Force from Washington, served with Detachment 1, 1043rd Radar Evaluation Squadron. He was killed during enemy action in Laos, and his remains were not recovered. He remains unaccounted-for. Today, Sergeant Price is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Malarz, Rene Lee
Army Private 1st class

Rene Lee Malarz, age 23, from Winlock, Washington, Lewis county.

Service era: Vietnam
Military history: 35th Infantry Regiment

Date of death: Thursday, August 24, 1967
Death details: Killed by small arms fire, Quang Ngai Province
Cemetery: Winlock Cemetery

Source: National Archives, 35th Infantry Regiment Association

Dowling, Robert Moffett
Army Chief warrant officer 2

Robert Moffett Dowling, age 25, from Lewis County Centralia, Washington .

Parents: Tad B. Dowling
Spouse: Mary R. Dowling

Service era: Vietnam
Military history: Purple Heart

Date of death: Wednesday, January 12, 1966
Death details: Killed in action in Vietnam

Source: National Archives, News Tribune (1966), Associated Press (1966)

Dibble, Ronald Warren
Army Sergeant

Ronald Warren Dibble, age 21, from Lewis County Chehalis, Washington .

Spouse: Nandiana Dibble

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. Sergeant First Class Ronald Warren Dibble, who joined the U.S. Army from Washington, served with Battery B, 38th Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He went missing in action on November 30, 1950, as his unit fought through CCF roadblocks en route to Sunchon. No one saw him fall, and he was not reported as a prisoner of war. The battle area never reverted back to Allied control, precluding searches for his body. After the war, his remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody. Sergeant First Class Dibble is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Tri City Herald (1951)

Downs, Morgan Leo
Army Sergeant 1st class

Morgan Leo Downs, age 33, from Lewis County Onalaska, Washington .

Service era: Korea
Military history: Silver Star

Date of death: Saturday, July 8, 1950
Death details: In early July 1950, the U.S. Army’s 34th Infantry Regiment was occupying defensive positions just above the village of P’yongt’aek, South Korea, when it came under attack by the North Korean People’s Army (NKPA) 4th Division. The 34th Infantry had previously been on garrison duty in Japan and were not yet back up to combat strength. The NKPA attack was led by tanks; vastly outnumbered and lacking effective anti-tank weapons, the 34th Infantry was completely overwhelmed. They were forced to move south to Ch’onan where hasty defensive positions were established along two roads leading further south. However, the NKPA continued its relentless attack and again pushed the 34th Infantry out of their fighting positions, driving them down the Osan-Ch’onan road. After another brief but sharp battle on the morning of July 8, the Americans began a general withdrawal south to the Kum River Line, where U.S. forces would organize a defense in the hope of keeping the NKPA from reaching Taejon. During this series of fighting withdrawals, many U.S. soldiers were killed or captured by the enemy. Sergeant First Class Morgan Leo Downs entered the U.S. Army from Washington and was a member of Headquarters Company, 34th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He was killed in action during these fighting withdrawals. Battlefield conditions prevented the recovery of his remains at the time of his loss, and he is still unaccounted for. Today, Sergeant First Class Downs 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, News Tribune (1950)

Load More
Back To Top