Promote & Preserve stories of U.S. fallen soldiers/sailors
Duane Arvid Peterson, age 23, from Minnesota, Isanti county.
Parents: Arvid A. Peterson
Spouse: None
Children: None
Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Cambridge High
Date of death: Tuesday, May 5, 1970
Death details: Hostile, South Vietnam
Source: National Archives, Minneapolis Star (1970)
Robert Mickelson, age 23, from Minnesota, Saint Louis county.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Wednesday, July 8, 1953
Death details: On July 6, 1953, a large Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) unit attacked and overran the U.S. Army outposts on Pork Chop Hill in an attempt to seize whatever territory possible before the impending armistice agreement. After fighting for the position for four days, on July 10, the 7th Infantry Division Commander determined that the CCF disregard for casualties and desire to hold the outpost outweighed the position’s tactical value, and ordered a withdrawal that was eventually completed on July 11. The U.S. never again controlled Pork Chop Hill, preventing thorough recovery efforts for those who were killed or went missing during the fighting. Private First Class Robert Mickelson, who joined the U.S. Army from Minnesota, served with Company G, 2nd Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He went missing on July 8 during heavy fighting when Chinese troops attacked his company’s positions on Pork Chop Hill. He was not seen to fall in battle or reported as a prisoner of war. Battlefield conditions prevented an immediate search for him, and the area of his loss became part of the Demilitarized Zone at the end of the war. His remains have not been identified among those returned to U.S. custody. Today, Private First Class Mickelson is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Jean W. Bruso, age 22, from Minnesota, Ramsey county.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Tuesday, July 7, 1953
Death details: On July 6, 1953, a large Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) unit attacked and overran the U.S. Army outposts on Pork Chop Hill in an attempt to seize whatever territory possible before the impending armistice agreement. After fighting for the position for four days, on July 10, the 7th Infantry Division Commander determined that the CCF disregard for casualties and desire to hold the outpost outweighed the position’s tactical value, and ordered a withdrawal that was eventually completed on July 11. The U.S. never again controlled Pork Chop Hill, preventing thorough recovery efforts for those who were killed or went missing during the fighting. Sergeant Jean William Bruso entered the U.S. Army from Minnesota and was a medic with the Medical Company, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was killed in action on July 7 during the fighting on Pork Chop Hill, though exact circumstances surrounding his loss are unknown. His remains were not recovered, and he is still unaccounted for. Today, Sergeant Bruso is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Walter Herman Gruebbeling, age 35, from Minnesota, Douglas county.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Sunday, December 3, 1950
Death details: On the evening of November 27, 1950, Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) launched a massive 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. At the time of the initial CCF attack, members of the U.S. Army’s 31st and 32nd Infantry Regiments were defending the area north of Sinhung-ni, on the east side of the reservoir. The defenders were overwhelmed by the numerically superior CCF, and on December 1 were forced to withdraw to friendly lines at Hagaru-ri. Many men were lost or captured during the withdraw, with survivors reaching friendly lines in Hagaru-ri on December 2 and 3. Once at Hagaru-ri, the survivors of the withdrawal manned a section of the perimeter near East Hill, a strong defensive position overlooking the town. On the night of December 3, the Chinese attacked the Hagaru-ri perimeter and overwhelmed the defenders there. Many Americans were killed or went missing during these actions. Sergeant First Class Walter Herman Gruebbeling, who joined the U.S. Army from Minnesota, served with I Company, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He went missing in action on December 3, 1950, as the CCF attacked U.S. defensive lines around Hagaru-ri. No one saw him fall during the battle, and he was not reported to be a prisoner of war. After the war, his remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody. Today, Sergeant First Class Gruebbeling is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Harold Frederick Diekman, age 21, from Minnesota, Winona county.
Service era: Korea
Military history: 35th Infantry Regiment
Date of death: Monday, November 27, 1950
Death details: On November 27, 1950, B Company of the U.S. Army’s 35th Infantry Regiment, an element of Task Force Dolvin/Wilson, was holding a hastily erected defensive position near the village of Tong-dong, North Korea, when Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) attacked the company’s perimeter from two sides. After heavy fighting, the Chinese successfully infiltrated the American positions, forcing a withdrawal under heavy mortar and artillery fire. The U.S. troops pulled back to another position a mile farther south. Sergeant Harold Frederick Diekman entered the U.S. Army from Michigan and served with B Company of the 1st Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. He was captured on November 27, 1950, during this withdrawal from Tong-dong. As a prisoner of war (POW), he was marched to POW Camp 5 at Pyoktong, on the Yalu River, where he died in the spring or summer of 1951. He was buried near the camp; however, his remains were not identified among those returned to the U.S. following the ceasefire, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Sergeant Diekman is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, 35th Infantry Regiment Association, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Harry Carlton Johnson, age 35, from Minnesota, Le Sueur county.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Thursday, November 2, 1950
Death details: During the last week of October 1950, Republic of Korea (ROK) Army forces under the control of the U.S. Eighth Army were advancing deep in North Korean territory, approaching the Yalu River on the Chinese-Korean border. Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) struck back in a surprise attack, engaging the ROK 1st and 6th Divisions near Unsan, some sixty miles north of Pyongyang. The U.S. 1st Cavalry Division, with the 8th Cavalry Regiment in the lead, was rushed forward to reinforce the ROK units in the Unsan area. On November 1, the regiment’s 1st Battalion took up positions north of Unsan, while the 2nd Battalion moved to guard the Nammyon River valley west of town, and the 3rd Battalion was placed in reserve at the valley’s southern end. Corporal Harry Carlton Johnson joined the U.S. Army from Minnesota and was a member of Company M, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. On November 2, 1950, Company M was serving as a security unit for the 3rd Battalion Unsan when it was hit by an enemy attack and forced to withdraw. The 3rd Battalion soon became surrounded and Corporal Johnson was reported missing during the fighting. He could not be located following the incident, and specific details surrounding his loss are unknown. He was never reported as a prisoner of war, and his remains were not identified among those returned to the U.S. following the war. Today, Corporal Johnson is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Robert Stanley Block from Minnesota, Mower county.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Sunday, July 16, 1950
Death details: On the evening of July 15, 1950, the U.S. Army’s 19th Infantry Regiment held defensive positions along the south bank of the Kum River. As dusk approached, North Korean People’s Army (NKPA) tanks appeared on the opposite shore and began firing on the U.S. positions. Although U.S. troops repulsed the attacks that evening, the next morning the NKPA crossed the river and launched a major attack against the 19th Regiment. As the regiment began withdrawing south to Taejon, the North Koreans pushed deep into their defensive lines and set up a roadblock en route to Taejon. When retreating American convoys could not break through the roadblock, soldiers were forced to leave the road and attempt to make their way in small groups across the countryside. Of the 900 soldiers in the 19th Infantry when the Battle of Kum River started, only 434 made it to friendly lines. Private First Class Robert Stanley Block entered the U.S. Army from Minnesota and served with Company A, 1st Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He was captured on July 16, in one of the many rear-guard actions during the Battle of Kum River. After his capture, PFC Block was taken to Seoul where he was kept in a former Japanese schoolhouse. From Seoul, he was transferred to Pyongyang, where he was again held in a former schoolhouse, and was then moved again to Manpo. From Manpo he became a part of the “Tiger March” that departed for the “Apex” prisoner of war (POW) camps. En route, PFC Block became weakened and could not keep up, so was shot by a North Korean officer on or around November 4. His burial information is unknown, and he was not identified among any of the remains returned to the U.S. following the war. Today, Private First Class Block is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Roy Lloyd Sunsdahl from Minnesota, Pennington county.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Sunday, July 16, 1950
Death details: On the evening of July 15, 1950, the U.S. Army’s 19th Infantry Regiment held defensive positions along the south bank of the Kum River. As dusk approached, North Korean People’s Army (NKPA) tanks appeared on the opposite shore and began firing on the U.S. positions. Although U.S. troops repulsed the attacks that evening, the next morning the NKPA crossed the river and launched a major attack against the 19th Regiment. As the regiment began withdrawing south to Taejon, the North Koreans pushed deep into their defensive lines and set up a roadblock en route to Taejon. When retreating American convoys could not break through the roadblock, soldiers were forced to leave the road and attempt to make their way in small groups across the countryside. Of the 900 soldiers in the 19th Infantry when the Battle of Kum River started, only 434 made it to friendly lines. Private First Class Roy Lloyd Sunsdahl entered the U.S. Army from Pennsylvania and served with Company C, 1st Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. On the morning of July 16, while fighting at Hill 200 during the Battle of Kum River, PFC Sunsdahl was captured by the enemy. As a prisoner of war (POW), PFC Sunsdahl was marched to various holding camps, and eventually became a part of the “Tiger March” to the “Apex” camps in North Korea. Private First Class Sunsdahl died at the “Apex” village of Hanjang-ni, in early December 1950. He was buried by companions on a hillside just above the village, but his remains have not been recovered following the war. Today, Private First Class Sunsdahl is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Russel L. Stark, age 21, from Minnesota, Chisago county.
Parents: Lawrence J. Stark
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Monday, September 11, 1944
Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune (1945)
Donald R. Duchene, age 19, from Minnesota, Blue Earth county.
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Sunday, August 1, 1943
Death details: Staff Sgt. Donald R. Duchene, 19, of St. Paul, Minnesota, killed during World War II, was accounted for July 8, 2022. In the summer of 1943, Duchene was assigned to the 344th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 98th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 9th Air Force. On Aug. 1, 1943, the B-24 Liberator aircraft on which Duchene was serving as the tail gunner was hit by enemy anti-aircraft fire and crashed during Operation TIDAL WAVE, the largest bombing mission against the oil fields and refineries at Ploiesti, north of Bucharest, Romania. His remains were not identified following the war. The remains that could not be identified were buried as Unknowns in the Hero Section of the Civilian and Military Cemetery of Bolovan, Ploiesti, Prahova, Romania. Following the war, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel, disinterred all American remains from the Bolovan Cemetery for identification. The AGRC was unable to identify more than 80 unknowns from Bolovan Cemetery, and those remains were permanently interred at Ardennes American Cemetery and Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, both in Belgium. In 2017, DPAA began exhuming unknowns believed to be associated with unaccounted-for airmen from Operation TIDAL WAVE losses. These remains were sent to the DPAA Laboratory at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, for examination and identification. To identify Duchene’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological and dental analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis. Duchene’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Florence American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Impruneta, Italy, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency