Oakland County Michigan

Myers, Raymond Jr.
Army Private 1st class

Raymond Jr. Myers, age 21, from Michigan, Oakland county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Friday, October 24, 1952
Death details: In late October 1952, elements of the U.S. 32nd Infantry Regiment attacked Chinese forces on Hill 598 (often referred to as the Triangle Hill Complex) near Kumhwa, North Korea. Triangle Hill was composed of three high peaks, two of which were nicknamed “Pike’s Peak” and “Jane Russell.” If U.S. troops could push the Chinese off Triangle Hill, the Chinese would have to fall back to the next high defensible position. The initial U.S. assault was effective; however, the Chinese quickly counterattacked, sending wave after wave of troops against the 32nd’s positions on Pike’s Peak and Jane Russell. Chinese forces eventually re-established themselves on Pike’s Peak and U.S. troops were unable to dislodge them. Corporal Raymond Myers Jr., who joined the U.S. Army from Michigan, served with G Company, 2nd Battalion, 32rd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing on October 24 as his unit fought Chinese forces for control of Hill 598. He was not seen to fall in battle and he was not reported to be a prisoner of war. The area of his loss did not return to the control of U.S. forces, precluding a search for his body, and the terms of the ceasefire placed that area in the Demilitarized Zone. His remains were not identified among those later returned to U.S. custody. Today, Corporal Myers is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Block, Kenneth Roy
Army Corporal

Kenneth Roy Block, age 22, from Birmingham, Michigan, Oakland county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Sunday, December 3, 1950
Death details: On May 18, 2012, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC, now DPAA) identified the remains of MSG Corporal Kenneth Roy Block, missing from the Korean War. Corporal Block entered the U.S. Army from Michigan and served in M Company, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. On December 3, 1950, he was killed by Chinese Communist Forces during his unit’s withdrawal to the village of Hagaru-ri, North Korea. He was buried near the area of his loss, but his remains were not returned to the U.S. immediately following the war. In 2001 a joint U.S./ North Korean investigative team recovered the remains of several U.S. soldiers from a mass grave site near the Chosin Reservoir. In 2012, analysts were able to successfully identify CPL Block from among these remains. Corporal 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, Lansing State Journal (1951)

Cloutier, Robert James
Army Corporal

Robert James Cloutier from Oakland County Michigan.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Friday, December 1, 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 Robert James Cloutier, who joined the U.S. Army from Michigan, was a member of the Medical Company, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured by the CCF during the fighting withdrawal from Kunu-ri on December 1, 1950. He was marched to Camp 5, a prison camp on the bank of the Yalu River in North Korea, where he died of pneumonia in June or May 1951. His remains have not been identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the war, and he is still unaccounted for. Today, Sergeant Cloutier 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

Wheeler, William Arlo
Army Private

William Arlo Wheeler, age 18, from Oakland County Hazel Park, Michigan .

Parents: Kenneth A. Wheeler

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Friday, September 1, 1950
Death details: In late July of 1950, reinforcements from the U.S. Army’s 2nd Infantry Division arrived in Pusan, South Korea, and within hours of their arrival were already being moved to the front lines along the Pusan Perimeter to help repel the invading North Korean People’s Army (NKPA). Troops were positioned along the eastern bank of the Naktong River, which was shallow enough to be crossed on foot in several places. On August 31, members of the 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, were defending the eastern shore of the Naktong, near the town of Yongsan, when at nightfall the NKPA advanced over the Naktong and began an offensive against American positions along the river. Heavy fighting broke out, and many of the 9th Infantry Regiment’s positions were overrun. Private William Arlo Wheeler, who joined the U.S. Army from Michigan, was a member of H Company of the 2nd Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. On the night of August 31, 1950, his unit was stationed along the Naktong River and was involved in the moving battle that broke out after the NKPA attack. Private Wheeler was lost during the fighting that took place between August 31 and September 1. He was never seen in enemy custody as a prisoner of war, and attempts to locate his remains following the end of hostilities were unsuccessful. Today, Private Wheeler 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, Battle Creek Enquirer (1950)

Bailey, Charles Virgil
Army Corporal

Charles Virgil Bailey from Michigan, Oakland county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Tuesday, July 11, 1950
Death details: On July 11, 1950, the U.S. Army’s 21st Infantry Regiment, which had arrived in Korea six days earlier, was placed in defensive positions near the town of Chochiwon, South Korea. The regiment was not at full strength and lacked artillery and anti-tank weapons. That day, they were attacked by North Korean forces and were forced to withdraw to avoid being surrounded, as well as to buy time until they could be reinforced and resupplied. Sergeant Charles Virgil Bailey, who joined the U.S. Army from Michigan, served with L Company, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He was captured by enemy forces on July 11, 1950, during the action near Chochiwon, South Korea, and forced to march north to the Apex prison camps in North Korea. He died in a prison camp near Chunggang-jin of malnutrition and dysentery on January 22, 1951. Although he was buried near the camp, his remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire. Today, Sergeant Bailey is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Dennis, William F.
Army Technician 4

William F. Dennis, age 23, from Michigan, Oakland county.

Service era: World War II

Parent: Carl Dennis

School: Brown City High (1941)

Date of death: February 13, 1944
Death details: Died of wounds

Source: National Archives, family, Times Herald (1948)

Webb, Hester Scott
Marine Reserves Corporal

Hester Scott Webb, age 21, from Royal Oak, Michigan, Oakland county.

Parents: Margaret Webb

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Sunday, November 21, 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. Corporal Hester Scott Webb joined the U.S. Marine Corps from Michigan and was a member of Company C, 2nd Tank Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, which took part in the Battle of Tarawa. On November 21, 1943, he was killed in action on the atoll. He was buried in Cemetery #33, but after the war his remains were not located, and he remains unaccounted-for. Today, Corporal Webb is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Getson, Matthew Jr.
Marine Reserves Private 1st class

Matthew Jr. Getson, age 21, from Royal Oak, Michigan, Oakland county.

Parents: B. K. Johnson

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 First Class Matthew Getson Jr., who joined the U.S. Marine Corps from Michigan, was a member of Company I, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division. PFC Getson was killed in action on November 20, 1943, during the Battle of Tarawa and was buried in the Main Marine Cemetery on Betio Island. However, after the war, his remains could not be identified. Today, Private First Class Getson is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Raymond, William L.
Army Private 1st class

William L. Raymond from Michigan, Oakland county.

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Wednesday, July 15, 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 William L. Raymond entered the U.S. Army Air Forces from Michigan and served with the 17th Pursuit 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 15, 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 Raymond is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

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