Promote & Preserve stories of U.S. fallen soldiers/sailors
James A. Butz, age 21, from Porter, Indiana, Porter county.
Service era: Afghanistan
Military history: 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Date of death: Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Death details: Died in Helmand Province, Afghanistan of injuries suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device.
Source: Department of Defense
Adam James Harting, age 21, from Portage, Indiana, Porter county.
Service era: Iraq
Military history: Company A, 3D Battalion, 69Th Armor, 3Id, (Tf Liberty), Fort Stewart, Ga
Date of death: Monday, July 25, 2005
Death details: Hostile; Samarra, Iraq
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
John Douglas Amos II, age 20, from Valparaiso, Indiana, Porter county.
Parents: Susan Amos and John Amos
Service era: Iraq
Military history: C Company, 1St Battalion / 21St Infantry Regiment, Schofield Barracks, Hi 96857; Bronze Star and Purple Heart
Date of death: Sunday, April 4, 2004
Death details: Hostile; Balad, Iraq
Source: Department of Defense, Post Tribune, Military Times
Thomas P. Thorstad, age 27, from Porter County Chesterton, Indiana .
Parents: James Thorstad and Barbara Thorstad
Spouse: Kathleen Thorstad
Children: Ages 2 and 4
Service era: Beirut bombings
Date of death: Sunday, October 23, 1983
Death details: Among more than 200 military personnel killed in the terroist bombing of Marine headquarters in Beirut.
Source: White House Commission on Remembrance, Daily Herald
Edison Amos III Harkins, age 21, from Beverly Shores, Indiana, Porter county.
Parents: Edison A. Harkins II
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Thursday, July 30, 1970
Death details: Hostile, wounded in South Vietnam
Source: National Archives, Associated Press (1970)
Larry Allan Rippe, age 21, from Chesterton, Indiana, Porter county.
Parents: Karl H. Rippe
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Wednesday, May 27, 1970
Death details: Hostile in South Vietnam
Source: National Archives, Richmond Palladium Item (1970)
Ronald Eugene Dills, age 21, from Valparaiso, Indiana, Porter county.
Parents: Floyd and Gretchen McLain Dills
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Thursday, May 7, 1970
Death details: Hostile in South Vietnam
Cemetery: Oakhill in Plymouth, Indiana
Source: National Archives, South Bend Tribune (1970)
Donald Joseph Trampski from Chesterton, Indiana.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: September 16, 1969
Death details: Private First Class (PFC) Donald Joseph Trampski entered the U.S. Army from Indiana and served in Company B, 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division. On September 16, 1969, he was serving as a rifleman with his unit on a patrol in South Vietnam. As his unit was crossing a Montagnard bridge near grid coordinates AR 888 138 during a heavy rainstorm, PFC Trampski lost his footing and fell into the river below. The river was swollen with a fast current, and PFC Trampski was seen swimming in the water near the bridge. His unit moved to the river banks to assist him but he was not seen again. Subsequent searches for him or his remains were unsuccessful. Following the incident, the Army promoted PFC Trampski to the rank of staff sergeant. Today, Staff Sergeant Trampski is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Based on all information available, DPAA assessed the individual’s case to be in the analytical category of Non-recoverable.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency