Rock Island County Illinois

Golz, John Bryan
Navy Lieutenant (junior grade)

John Bryan Golz, age 24, from Rock Island, Illinois, Rock Island county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Wednesday, April 22, 1970
Death details: Lieutenant Junior Grade John Bryan Golz entered the U.S. Navy from Illinois and served in Attack Squadron 172, embarked aboard the USS Shangri-La (CVS 38). On April 22, 1970, he piloted a single-seat A-4C Skyhawk (bureau number 148484, call sign “Holloway 305”) on a night strike mission against enemy targets in Laos. During the mission, his aircraft crashed in the target area near (GC) XC 79986780, close to an enemy 37mm anti-aircraft artillery position. No parachutes were observed nor rescue beepers detected following the crash, and searches of the area revealed no signs of LTJG Golz. Further attempts to locate him were unsuccessful.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Bauer, Carl Timothy
Army Staff sergeant

Carl Timothy Bauer, age 23, from Rock Island, Illinois, Rock Island county.

Parents: Carl B. Bauer

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Tuesday, April 21, 1970
Death details: Hostile, killed in South Vietnam

Source: National Archives, Assocaited Press (1970)

Baker, Edward Jeffrey
Navy Engineman 3

Edward Jeffrey Baker, age 22, from Rapids City, Illinois, Rock Island county.

Parents: William Raymond Baker
Spouse: Elaine Rae Miller Baker
Children: Cheryl

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Friday, April 3, 1970
Death details: Killed in South Vietnam when his patrol boat was hit by enemy rockets.

Source: National Archives, The Dispatch (1970)

Risse, William John
Navy adrc

William John Risse, age 43, from Moline, Illinois, Rock Island county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Monday, March 16, 1970
Death details: Killed in Vietnam when a Navy EC121 spy plane with 31 crew aboard crashed into a hanger and started on fire.

Source: National Archives, UPI (1970), Associated Press (1970)

Woner, John Perry
Army Warrant officer

John Perry Woner, age 21, from East Moline, Illinois, Rock Island county.

Parents: Gerald C. Woner
Spouse: Daughters

Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Married

Date of death: Monday, March 9, 1970
Death details: Killed when the helicopter he was piloting crashed and burned near Bien Hoa, South Vietnam

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Quad City Times

Webster, Robert Lewis
Army Private 1st class

Robert Lewis Webster, age 20, from Moline, Illinois, Rock Island county.

Parents: Mr. and Mrs. John K. Links

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Friday, March 6, 1970
Death details: Hostile, killed in South Vietnam

Source: National Archives, Associated Press (1970)

Foster, Mark Anthony
Marines Lance corporal

Mark Anthony Foster, age 20, from Rock Island, Illinois, Rock Island county.

Parents: Everett H. and Edith Hermanson Foster

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Sunday, February 1, 1970
Death details: Died from gunshot wounds in Vietnam

Source: National Archives, Rock Island Argus (1970)

Banning, Terry Lee
Air Force 1st lieutenant

Terry Lee Banning, age 27, from Andalusia, Illinois, Rock Island county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Tuesday, January 13, 1970
Death details: Died in an airplane crash in Guam
Cemetery: Rock Island Memorial Park

Source: National Archives, Moline Dispatch (1970)

Whitemore, William Francis
Army Corporal

William Francis Whitemore, age 24, from Rock Island County Rock Island, Illinois .

Spouse: Married

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, November 30, 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 William Francis Whitemore, who joined the U.S. Army from Illinois, served with Headquarters, Headquarters and Service Company, 2nd Engineer Combat Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He went missing in action on November 30, 1950, as his unit was withdrawing from Kunu-ri to Sunchon. No one saw him fall, and his body was not recovered after the battle. There is no evidence that he was ever held as a prisoner of war, and his remains have not been returned to U.S. custody. Sergeant Whitemore is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Rock Island Argus (1951)

Ybarra, Mike Joseph
Army Sergeant

Mike J. Ybarra from Illinois, Rock Island county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Saturday, November 25, 1950
Death details:  By mid-November 1950, U.S. and allied forces had advanced within sixty miles of the Yalu River, which formed a border between North Korea and China. On November 25, approximately 300,000 Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) “volunteers” launched a sudden and fierce counteroffensive after crossing the Yalu. The 2nd Infantry Division, located the farthest north of those 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 heavy casualty losses in the process.

Sergeant First Class Mike Joseph Ybarra, who entered the U.S. Army from Illinois, served in Company G, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He went missing in action on November 25, 1950, as the 23rd Regiment faced heavy fighting during the early phases of its withdrawal to Sunchon. Specific details regarding SFC Ybarra’s loss are unknown. He was never reported as a prisoner of war, and his remains were not recovered or identified following the battle. Today, Sergeant First Class Ybarra is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

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