Ronald J. Jackson, age 18, from Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, Luzerne county.
Parents: Laura Jackson
Service era: Korea
Military history: Battery B, 109th Field Artillery Battalion, Pennsylvania National Guard
Date of death: Monday, September 11, 1950
Source: Scranton Times Tribune (1950), Wilkes Barre Times Leader (1950)
Donald C. Zieker, age 15, from Hughestown, Pennsylvania, Luzerne county.
Service era: Korea
Schools: GAR High in Wiles-Barre
Military history: Battery B, 109th Field Artillery Battalion, Pennsylvania National Guard
Date of death: Monday, September 11, 1950
Source: Scranton Times Tribune (1950), Wilkes Barre Times Leader (1950)
Philip C. McQuown from Pennsylvania, Luzerne county.
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Tuesday, August 22, 1944
Death details: Finding of death
Cemetery: Zachary Taylor National
Source: National Archives, grave marker
Happy H. Pierson from Pennsylvania, Luzerne county.
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Sunday, June 4, 1944
Death details: On May 17, 1944, U.S. and Chinese troops began the siege of Myitkyina, Burma. The town, which was occupied by the Japanese, possessed a strategically vital airstrip that would allow supplies and aerial support to reach troops fighting in difficult jungle terrain of the China-Burma-India Theater. While Chinese units comprised the majority of the ground combat troops, the U.S. Army’s 5307th Composite Unit, also known as Merrill’s Marauders, was also active in the fighting. The Japanese were able to defend the town until August 3, 1944, when their remaining men were ordered to withdraw. Hard fighting, difficult terrain, and the outbreak of disease led to significant casualties among the Chinese and American units that fought to take control of the town. Private Happy H. Pierson entered the U.S. Army from Pennsylvania and served in the 236th Engineer Combat Battalion. During the fighting in and around Myitkyina, members of the 236th Battalion spent 59 days on the front lines as infantry, in constant contact with the enemy. Private Pierson was killed on June 4, 1944, near the village of Namkwi, Burma. The exact circumstances of his loss are unknown. His remains have not been recovered or identified following the war, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Private Pierson is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Frank Carl Andruseasky, age 21, from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Luzerne county.
Parents: Stella A. Blades
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 Frank Carl Andruseasky, who joined the U.S. Marine Corps from Maryland, was a member of Company H, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division. He was killed in action during the Battle of Tarawa on November 20, 1943. His body was not recovered after the battle, and he was not identified among remains recovered from Tarawa after the war. Today, Private Andruseasky is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Cemetery: Tablets of the Missing at Honolulu Memorial
Source: National Archives, American Battle Monuments Commission, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Leo A. Albosta, age 20, from Pennsylvania, Luzerne county.
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Monday, August 24, 1942
Death details: Following the Allied surrender on the Bataan Peninsula on April 9, 1942, the Japanese began the forcible transfer of American and Filipino prisoners of war to various prison camps in central Luzon, at the northern end of the Philippines. The largest of these camps was the notorious Cabanatuan Prison Camp. At its peak, Cabanatuan held approximately 8,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war that were captured during and after the Fall of Bataan. Camp overcrowding worsened with the arrival of Allied prisoners who had surrendered from Corregidor on May 6, 1942. Conditions at the camp were poor and food and water supplied extremely limited, leading to widespread malnutrition and outbreaks of malaria and dysentery. By the time the camp was liberated in early 1945, approximately 2,800 Americans had died at Cabanatuan. Prisoners were forced to bury the dead in makeshift communal graves often completed without records or markers. As a result, identifying and recovering remains interred at Cabanatuan was difficult in the years after the war. Private Leo A. Albosta entered the U.S. Army from Pennsylvania and served with Company C of the 803rd Engineers Battalion (Aviation), which was stationed in the Philippines during the Fall of Bataan. He was captured in Bataan following the American surrender and died of dysentery at the Cabanatuan Prison Camp on August 24, 1942. He was buried in a communal grave in the camp cemetery along with other deceased American POWs; however, his remains could not be associated with any remains recovered from Cabanatuan after the war. Today, Private Albosta is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
Cemetery: Tablets of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery
Source: National Archives American Battle Monuments Commission, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Howard J. Harfman from Pennsylvania, Luzerne county.
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Saturday, July 25, 1942
Death details: Following the Allied surrender on the Bataan Peninsula on April 9, 1942, the Japanese began the forcible transfer of American and Filipino prisoners of war to various prison camps in central Luzon, at the northern end of the Philippines. The largest of these camps was the notorious Cabanatuan Prison Camp. At its peak, Cabanatuan held approximately 8,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war that were captured during and after the Fall of Bataan. Camp overcrowding worsened with the arrival of Allied prisoners who had surrendered from Corregidor on May 6, 1942. Conditions at the camp were poor, with food and water extremely limited, leading to widespread malnutrition and outbreaks of malaria and dysentery. By the time the camp was liberated in early 1945, approximately 2,800 Americans had died at Cabanatuan. Prisoners were forced to bury the dead in makeshift communal graves, often completed without records or markers. As a result, identifying and recovering remains interred at Cabanatuan was difficult in the years after the war. Technician Fifth Grade Howard J. Harfman entered the U.S. Army Air Forces from Pennsylvania and served with the 93rd Bombardment Squadron, 19th Bombardment Group in the Philippines during World War II. He was captured following the Allied surrender and forced on the Bataan Death March. He was ultimately interned at the Cabanatuan Prison Camp in Nueva Ecija Province, where he died of malaria and hepatitis on July 25, 1942. He was buried in a communal grave in the camp cemetery along with other deceased American POWs; however, his remains could not be associated with any remains recovered from Cabanatuan after the war. Today, Technician Fifth Grade Harfman is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
William E. Stair, age 19, from Pennsylvania, Luzerne county.
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Monday, June 22, 1942
Death details: Following the Allied surrender on the Bataan Peninsula on April 9, 1942, the Japanese began the forcible transfer of American and Filipino prisoners of war to various prison camps in central Luzon, at the northern end of the Philippines. The largest of these camps was the notorious Cabanatuan Prison Camp. At its peak, Cabanatuan held approximately 8,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war that were captured during and after the Fall of Bataan. Camp overcrowding worsened with the arrival of Allied prisoners who had surrendered from Corregidor on May 6, 1942. Conditions at the camp were poor, with food and water extremely limited, leading to widespread malnutrition and outbreaks of malaria and dysentery. By the time the camp was liberated in early 1945, approximately 2,800 Americans had died at Cabanatuan. Prisoners were forced to bury the dead in makeshift communal graves, often completed without records or markers. As a result, identifying and recovering remains interred at Cabanatuan was difficult in the years after the war. Private William E. Stair joined the U.S. Army Air Forces from Pennsylvania and served with the 28th Material Squadron, 20th Air Base Group in the Philippines during World War II. He was captured in Bataan following the American surrender on April 9, 1942, and died of dysentery and malaria on June 22, 1942, at the Cabanatuan Prison Camp in Nueva Ecija Province. He was buried in a communal grave in the camp cemetery along with other deceased American POWs; however, his remains could not be associated with any of those recovered from Cabanatuan after the war. Today, Private Stair is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Merle F. Dunlap from Pennsylvania, Luzerne county.
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Monday, June 22, 1942
Death details: Following the Allied surrender on the Bataan Peninsula on April 9, 1942, the Japanese began the forcible transfer of American and Filipino prisoners of war to various prison camps in central Luzon, at the northern end of the Philippines. The largest of these camps was the notorious Cabanatuan Prison Camp. At its peak, Cabanatuan held approximately 8,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war that were captured during and after the Fall of Bataan. Camp overcrowding worsened with the arrival of Allied prisoners who had surrendered from Corregidor on May 6, 1942. Conditions at the camp were poor and food and water supplied extremely limited, leading to widespread malnutrition and outbreaks of malaria and dysentery. By the time the camp was liberated in early 1945, approximately 2,800 Americans had died at Cabanatuan. Prisoners were forced to bury the dead in makeshift communal graves often completed without records or markers. As a result, identifying and recovering remains interred at Cabanatuan was difficult in the years after the war. Sergeant Merle F. Dunlap entered the U.S. Army from Pennsylvania and served with the 54th Signal Maintenance Company in the Philippines during World War II. He was captured in Bataan following the American surrender and died of dysentery on June 22, 1942, at the Cabanatuan Prison Camp in Nueva Ecija Province. He was buried in a communal grave in the camp cemetery along with other deceased American POWs; however, his remains could not be associated with any remains recovered from Cabanatuan after the war. Today, Sergeant Dunlap is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
John Joseph Petyak from Luzerne County Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania .
Parents: John Petyak
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Sunday, December 7, 1941
Death details: Died non-battle
Source: National Archives