Madison County Illinois

Burgoyne, James Joseph
Army Warrant officer

James Joseph Burgoyne, age 30, from Alton, Illinois, Madison county.

Parents: James A. Burgoyne
Spouse: Rose Mary
Children: Larry, Kathy, Debbie

Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Alton High (1967), Southern Illinois University in Carbondale

Date of death: Monday, March 2, 1970
Death details: Killed in South Vietnam after his helicopter was struck by ground fire and crashed.
Cemetery: Valhalla Memorial Park

Source: National Archives, Alton Evening Telegram (1970)

Barnes, Donald Aaron
Army Sergeant

Donald Aaron Barnes, age 40, from Granite City, Illinois, Madison county.

Parents: Minnie Kauffman Barnes and preceded in death by Mirvel Barnes
Spouse: Married
Children: Darlene, 12; Donna, 15

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Friday, March 16, 1962
Death details: Among 93 soldiers aboard a transport plane on a “secret mission” to Vietnam. Wreaths Across America in 2021: “Very little is known about what happened to the plane and its passengers, and due to the circumstance surrounding this mission, the names of those lost have not yet been added to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C.”
Cemetery: A memorial honoring the lives lost was dedicated in 2021 in Columbia Falls, Maine

Source: Atlanta Counstitution (1962), MauiNow (2021), Grand Junction Daily Sentinel (1962), UPI (1962)

Parkhurst, Paul O.
Army 2nd Lieutenant

Paul O. Parkhurst, age 32, from Illinois, Madison county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Tuesday, July 14, 1953
Death details: On July 13, 1953, the U.S. Army’s 555th Field Artillery Battalion was positioned to support the Republic of Korea (ROK) 6th Division along a stretch of line known as the Kumsong Salient, when the Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) launched a massive night attack. The 555th Field Artillery continued to fire in support of the ROK forces during the initial stage of the attack, despite coming under heavy enemy artillery fire themselves. However, early on July 14, CCF troops penetrated the ROK lines and were able to attack the 555th’s own positions. Several battery positions were overrun by the numerically superior attackers before a withdrawal order was received. By that point, few men were actually able to withdraw. Some managed to evade enemy forces and work their way back to friendly lines over the following days, but a number of the 555th Field Artillery’s men were captured by the enemy or went missing. The battlefield now lies on the North Korean side of the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea.

First Lieutenant Paul Owen Parkhurst, who entered the U.S. Army from Illinois, served with Battery B, 555th Field Artillery Battalion, 24th Infantry Division. He was with his unit when the CCF attacked on July 14, 1953, and was reported missing following the fighting. His remains were not recovered at the time, and he remains unaccounted-for. Today, First Lieutenant Parkhurst is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Hancock, Harold Eugene
Marine Corps Private

Harold Eugene Hancock from Granite City, Illinois, Madison county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Wednesday, November 29, 1950
Death details: On the evening of November 27, 1950, a huge Chinese force launched an attack against the U.S. and United Nations (UN) troops stationed in the Chosin Reservoir area in north-east North Korea. The resulting seventeen-day conflict became known as the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. After a fierce defense, U.S. and UN forces attempted to withdraw south from the Chosin Reservoir to the port of Hungnam. A single seventy-eight-mile roadway connecting the reservoir to Hungnam offered the only retreat route, and the withdrawing men faced significant enemy resistance as they traveled down it, attempting to avoid encirclement. After suffering heavy casualties, the U.S. and UN troops eventually broke through Chinese lines and reached Hungnam. Private Harold Eugene Hancock, who joined the U.S. Marine Corps from Illinois, served with Company F, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. He was killed in action on November 29, 1950, during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, as Company F defended a prominent hill overlooking Toktong Pass from the CCF. The Marines named the prominence “Fox Hill” in honor of the men who defended it. After the battle, Private Hancock was buried at the base of Fox Hill; however, his remains could not be located or identified following the war. Today, Private Hancock is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Meadows, Marlin E.
Army Private

Marlin E. Meadows, age 28, from Illinois, Madison county.

Service era: World War II
Military history: 209 Engineer BN

Date of death: Monday, December 3, 1945
Death details: Died, non-battle
Cemetery: Fort Donelson National

Source: National Archives, grave marker

Paoli, Albert J.
Army Private

Albert J. Paoli, age 20, from Illinois, Madison county.

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Wednesday, October 18, 1944
Death details: The Battle of the Hürtgen Forest, one of the bloodiest conflicts of World War II, was fought between Allied and German forces from September 1944 to February 1945. As U.S. forces advanced eastward into Germany, the defending Germans manned “Siegfried Line” positions opposite the Belgian border. The battle grew to involve approximately 200,000 troops, with tens of thousands of casualties on both sides. American forces initially entered the area seeking to block German reinforcements from moving north toward the fighting around Aachen, the westernmost city of Germany, near the borders with Belgium and the Netherlands. In the battle’s second phase and as part of the Allied’s larger offense toward the Rhine River, U.S. troops attempted to push through the forest to the banks of Roer River. Aided by bad weather and rough terrain, German forces in the Hürtgen Forest put up unexpectedly strong resistance due to a well-prepared defense. American forces were unable to break through to the Rur before the German Ardennes offensive struck in December 1944, known as the Battle of the Bulge, which halted the eastward Allied advance until February 1945. Private Albert J. Paoli, who entered the U.S. Army from Illinois, served in Company I, 60th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on October 17, 1944, during the Battle of Hurtgen Forest while his unit was positioned southeast of Aachen, Germany. Specific details regarding his loss are unknown, and attempts to recover his remains following the war were unsuccessful. Today, Private Paoli is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Harding, Warren E.
Marine Reserves Private

Warren E. Harding, age 22, from Alton, Illinois, Madison 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 Warren E. Harding entered the U.S. Marine Corps from Missouri and served in Company L, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines, 2nd Marine Division. He was killed in action on November 20, 1943 during the Battle of Tarawa. Private Harding was buried on Betio Island but his remains could not be identified among those disinterred from the island following the war. Today, Private Harding is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Rayburn, John L.
Army Private 1st class

John L. Rayburn from Illinois, Madison county.

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Friday, July 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, 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 First Class John L. Rayburn joined the U.S. Army Air Forces from Illinois and was a member of Headquarters Squadron, 24th Pursuit 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 on July 24, 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, Private First Class Rayburn is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Ledbetter, Gene
Army Private

Gene Ledbetter from Illinois, Madison county.

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Friday, June 26, 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 Gene Ledbetter entered the U.S. Army from Illinois and served with the 263rd Quartermaster Company in the Philippines during World War II. He was captured in Bataan following the American surrender and died of malaria and dysentery on June 26, 1942, at the Cabanatuan Prison Camp in Nueva Ecija Province. Death records maintained by other American POWs at Cabanatuan contained no report on his burial location but noted his remains were possibly cremated. Today, Private Ledbetter is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Morley, Eugene Elvis
Navy Fireman 1st class

Eugene Elvis Morley, age 20, from Madison, Illinois, Madison county.

Parents: Claude W. Morley

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Sunday, December 7, 1941
Death details: Killed aboard the USS Arizona. Remains not recovered.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Chicago Tribune (1942)

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