Promote & Preserve stories of U.S. fallen soldiers/sailors
Bryan Black, age 35, from Puyallup, Washington.
Service era: Afghanistan
Military history: 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg
Date of death: Wednesday, October 4, 2017
Death details: Died in southwest Niger as a result of enemy fire
Source: Department of Defense, The Chronicle, Military Times
Michael W. Hosey, age 27, from Puyallup, Washigton
Service era: Afghanistan
School: Clay-Chalkville High (2001)
Military history: 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.
Date of death: Saturday, September 17, 2011
Death details: Died in Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan of injuries suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire.
Cemetery: Garden of Freedom at Jefferson Memorial Gardens East
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times, Legacy
Mark Allen Matter, age 20, from Puyallup, Washington, Pierce county.
Parents: George B. Matter
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Thursday, October 1, 1970
Death details: Killed in action
Source: National Archives, The Olympian (1970)
Ronald Frank Hopkins, age 20, from Puyallup, Washington, Pierce county.
Parents: George D. Hopkins
Spouse: Gloria
Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Puyallup High (1967)
Military history: Field medic with the 1st Air Cavalry
Date of death: Thursday, January 8, 1970
Death details: Killed in action in Vietnam
Source: National Archives, News Tribune (1970)
John William Holm, age 27, from Puyallup, Washington, Pierce county.
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. Private First Class John William Holm entered the U.S. Marine Corps from Washington and served in Company F, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division. He was killed in action on November 21 during the Battle of Tarawa. PFC Holm was reportedly buried on Betio Island, but his remains were not identified among those disinterred from the island following the war. Private First Class Holm is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency