Reno County Kansas

Mena, Ralph Jr.
Army Sergeant

Ralph Mena Jr., age 27, from Hutchinson, Kansas, Reno county.

Parents: Ralph Mena, Melody Mena (preceeded in death)
Spouse: Amber Harrison
Children: Step daughters Lexi Knopp and Bridget Knopp

Service era: Iraq
Military history: 72nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion.

Date of death: Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Death details: Died in Tikrit, Iraq of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident.
Cemetery: Eastside, Hutchinson

Source: Department of Defense, KSAL, Hutchinson News, Military Times

Wagler, Peter Daniel
Army Corporal

Peter Daniel Wagler, age 18, from Partridge, Kansas, Reno county.

Service era: Iraq
Military history: Company D, 1St Battalion, 12Th Infantry, 4Th Bct (Tf Iron Horse), Fort Hood, Tx

Date of death: Monday, January 23, 2006
Death details: Hostile; Baghdad, Iraq

Source: Department of Defense, Military Times

Perez, Christopher Shawn
Marines Sergeant

Christopher Shawn Perez, age 30, from Hutchinson, Kansas, Reno county.

Service era: Iraq
Military history: Hq Co, Hq Bn, 2D Mar Div, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina

Date of death: Monday, May 23, 2005
Death details: Hostile; Ramadi, Iraq

Source: Department of Defense, Military Times

Tucker, Robert Eugene
Marines Lance corporal

Robert Eugene Tucker, age 22, from Abbyville, Kansas, Reno county.

Parents: Carmelita J. Strong

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Wednesday, November 18, 1970
Death details: Killed in action

Source: National Archives, Associated Press (1970)

Preisser, Thomas Eugene
Navy Reserves Seaman 2nd class

Thomas Eugene Preisser from Hutchinson, Kansas, Reno county.

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.
Cemetery: Zachary Taylor National

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, grave marker

Coburn, Henry Carl
Navy Reserves Pharmacist’s mate 1st class

Henry Carl Coburn, age 28, from Hutchinson, Kansas, Reno 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. Pharmacist’s Mate First Class Henry C. Coburn, who joined the U.S. Navy from Kansas, served with the Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, which took part in the Battle of Tarawa. On November 21, 1943, he was killed in action when a bomb exploded near his location. He was buried on Betio Island, but his remains could not be located after the war. Today, Pharmacist’s Mate First Class Coburn is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Overton, Glen E.
Army Sergeant

Glen E. Overton from Kansas, Reno county.

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Thursday, August 20, 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. Sergeant Glen E. Overton joined the U.S. Army Air Forces from Kansas and served with Headquarters Squadron, 20th Air Base 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 August 20, 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, Sergeant Overton is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Nesbitt, George Jr.
Army Private

George Jr. Nesbitt from Kansas, Reno county.

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Saturday, August 8, 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 George Nesbitt Jr. joined the U.S. Army from Kansas and served with Company D of the 31st Infantry Regiment. He was captured in Bataan following the American surrender on April 9, 1942, and died of malaria on August 8, 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 Nesbitt is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Ellis, Wilbur Danner
Navy Radioman 2nd class

Wilbur Danner Ellis from Hutchinson, Kansas, Reno county.

Spouse: Genevieve Barbara Ellis

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Sunday, December 7, 1941
Death details: Killed aboard the USS Arizona

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

O’Grady, Camilus Michel
Navy Seaman 1st class

Camilus Michel O’Grady, age 19, from Hutchinson, Kansas, Reno county.

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Sunday, December 7, 1941
Death details: Killed aboard the USS Oklahoma. Accounted for September 21, 2016

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

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