Oroville California

Proctor, Russell J.
Army Staff sergeant

Russell J. Proctor, age 25, from Oroville, California.

Service era: Iraq
Military history: 4th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas

Date of death: Sunday, June 26, 2011
Death details: Died in Diyala Province, Iraq of wounds when enemy force attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. Pfc. Dylan J. Johnson was also killed.

Source: Department of Defense, Military Times

Taylor, James Harry
Army 2nd lieutenant

James Harry Taylor from Oroville, California, Butte county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Monday, February 15, 1971
Death details:  On February 15, 1971, a CH-47C Chinook (tail number 18506, call sign “Regard 25”) carrying five crew members and one passenger, took part in a combat support resupply mission over Laos. During the flight, “Regard 25” caught fire, exploded, and crashed near the Pon River in Savannakhet Province, Laos. Another helicopter that had witnessed the incident performed an aerial search of the crash site, but found no sign of any of the crew. The remains of the crew chief, door gunner, flight engineer, and the passenger were eventually recovered and identified; however, the remains of the aircraft commander and pilot were not recovered.

Second Lieutenant James Harry Taylor entered the U.S. Army from California and served with Company C, 159th Aviation Battalion, 101st Airborne Division. He was the aircraft commander on this Chinook at the time of its loss and was not recovered after the crash. Today, Second Lieutenant Taylor is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Illman, William Steve
Army Private 1st class

William Steve Illman, age 20, from Oroville, California, Butte county.

Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Las Plumas High (1965), Yuba College
Military history: 35th Infantry Regiment

Date of death: Tuesday, January 2, 1968
Death details: Killed by small arms fire in Quang Ngai Province

Source: National Archives, 35th Infantry Regiment Association

Vancampen, Thomas Charles
Army Private 1st class

Thomas Charles Vancampen, age 19, from Butte County Oroville, California .

Parents: Charles A. VanCampen

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Thursday, June 24, 1965
Death details: Private First Class Thomas Charles Van Campen entered the U.S. Army from California and was a member of Company B, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade. On June 24, 1965, he was on a combat operation near Bien Hoa, South Vietnam, when he became separated from his unit and was shot and killed by a sniper in the vicinity of grid coordinates YT 075 215. His unit was forced to retreat and was not able to retrieve his body at the time. The unit eventually returned to the area but did not find PFC Van Campen’s body, and further attempts to recover his remains have been unsuccessful. Today, Private First Class Van Campen is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. His name is also inscribed along with all his fallen comrades on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC.

Source: National Archives, Oroville Mercury Register (1965), Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Jensen, Richard Delbert
Navy Ensign

Richard Delbert Jensen from Oroville, California, Butte county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Monday, February 11, 1952
Death details: Body not recovered

Source: National Archives

Ingraham, Theodore Melton
Navy Reserves Seaman 1st class

Theodore Melton Ingraham from Oroville, California, Butte county.

Parents: Mrs. Irma Kestella

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Monday, December 18, 1944
Death details: He was aboard the destroyer USS Hull as it operated as part of the Fast Carrier Strike Force in the Philippine Sea. On December 17, 1944, the Hull was participating in refueling operations when the ships of its fueling group were engulfed by Typhoon Cobra. The Hull lost its ability to steer amid the enormous waves and began taking on water. The Hull eventually took on too much water to stay afloat and rolled and sank shortly before noon, on December 18. Sixty-two crew members were rescued, but a little more than two-hundred crew members were lost in the sinking.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

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