Promote & Preserve stories of U.S. fallen soldiers/sailors
Ethan J. Martin, age 22, from Lewiston, Idaho, Nez Perce county.
Service era: Afghanistan
Military history: 1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska.
Date of death: Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Death details: Died in Koragay, Afghanistan of wounds suffered when he encountered enemy small arms fire.
Cemetery: Paradise Valley Cemetery
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
Luke Charles Wullenwaber, age 24, from Lewiston, Idaho, Nez Perce county.
Service era: Iraq
Military history: A Co, 1St Bn, 506Th Inf, 2D Inf Div (Camp Greaves, Korea) Apo Ap 96215
Date of death: Tuesday, November 16, 2004
Death details: Hostile; Khaladiyah, Iraq
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
John Smith Jr. Lycan from Idaho, Nez Perce county.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Sunday, December 31, 1950
Death details: On July 5, 1950, Task Force Smith, the first U.S. ground element to engage North Korean People’s Army (NKPA) troops, was defending a position north of Osan, South Korea. The Task Force’s goal was to delay enemy forces by blocking their movement down the road south from Suwon to Taejon, which was a major avenue of advance for the NKPA. That morning, the Task Force was engaged by a column of enemy tanks. The anti-tank weapons that the infantrymen employed were ineffective, and a large number of tanks broke through their position. Task Force Smith was forced to withdraw to the south, suffering heavy casualties in the process. Corporal John Smith Lycan Jr., who joined the U.S. Army from Idaho, served with C Company, 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. His unit was part of Task Force Smith and he was captured by enemy forces on July 5, 1950. He was marched to the Apex prison camps in North Korea. He died of malnutrition on December 31, 1950 at the camp near Hanjang-ni, and was buried by his companions near the compound. His remains have not been recovered or identified among those returned to U.S. custody. Today, Corporal Lycan is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
James A. Phillips, age 21, from Nez Perce County Lewiston, Idaho .
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Tuesday, January 9, 1945
Death details: On December 13, 1944, Japanese forces in the Philippines began the transfer of 1,621 Allied prisoners of war (POWs) to Japan. The POWs were to make the journey aboard transport ships whose harsh conditions and extreme overcrowding led survivors to refer to them as “Hell Ships.” The ships also lacked markings that would distinguish them from any other military target, causing some of them to be attacked by Allied forces who could not identify them as POW transports. On December 14, 1944, Allied aircraft attacked the first ship, the Oryoku Maru, in Subic Bay in the Philippines, killing many Allied POWs who became lost in the water, sank with the ship, or were washed ashore. Survivors of the bombing were put aboard two other ships, the Enoura Maru and the Brazil Maru, to continue on to Japan. During the journey, while anchored in Takao Harbor, Formosa (present-day Taiwan), the Enoura Maru was attacked by Allied aircraft from the USS Hornet (CV-8), killing Allied POWs who were lost in the water, on board the ship, or on the nearby shore. Survivors of the Enoura Maru bombing were loaded onto the Brazil Maru, and reached Japan on January 30, 1945. As a result of these incidents, Allied POWs were lost in the Philippines, at sea between the Philippines and Taiwan, while anchored in Taiwan, at sea between Taiwan and Japan, and in Japan. The attacks on these POW transports ultimately resulted in a series of death notifications from the Japanese government through the International Red Cross (IRC), and some casualties were given up to five different dates of death at various locations during the transfer. Witness accounts from surviving POWs offer detailed information for a handful of casualties, but the specific dates of loss and/or last-known locations for many of these POWs are based on the most recent reported date of death. Second Lieutenant James A. Phillips, who joined the U.S. Army Air Forces from Idaho, served with the 17th Pursuit Squadron, 24th Pursuit Group, in the Philippines during World War II. He was taken as a POW following the Japanese invasion and was interned in the islands until December 1944, when he was put aboard the Oryoku Maru for transport to Japan. Records indicate 2LT Phillips was killed several weeks later in the attack on the Enoura Maru; however, these reports often involve information solely furnished by enemy governments, with some casualties given multiple dates of death. Future research may determine that these reports were inaccurate. His remains were not located or identified after the war, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Second Lieutenant Phillips is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Idaho Statesman (1945)