Promote & Preserve stories of U.S. fallen soldiers/sailors
Clifford Earl Jesse, age 20, from Saginaw, Michigan, Saginaw county.
Parents: Lucida S. Jesse
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Friday, May 8, 1970
Death details: Hostile, killed, South Vietnam
Source: National Archives, Fort Worth Star Telegram (1970)
Lewis Merritt Robinson, age 46, from Saginaw, Michigan, Saginaw county.
Parents: Clara M. Walker
Spouse: Elizabeth Jean (Hoff)
Children: Scott W., Bradley C., Gary L, William L., Mary Lou
Service era: Vietnam
Schools: University of Michigan graduate
Date of death: Sunday, June 4, 1967
Death details: On March 5, 1999, the Joint Casualty Resolution Center identified the remains of Lieutenant Colonel Lewis Merritt Robinson, missing from the Vietnam War. Lieutenant Colonel Robinson entered the U.S. Air Force from Michigan and was a member of the 1st Air Commando Squadron. On June 4, 1967, he took off from Pleiku, South Vietnam, piloting an A-1E Skyraider (tail number 52-132681, call sign “Hobo 34”) on a close air support mission against enemy targets over Saravane Province, Laos. During the mission, “Hobo 34” was hit by enemy ground fire, crashed, and exploded, killing Lt Col Robinson. A heavy enemy presence in the loss area prevented any search and recovery efforts, and Lt Col Robinson’s remains were not recovered at the time. However, in February 1988, a joint team visited the crash site and recovered human remains, and in March 1999, investigators using modern forensic techniques were able to identify Lt Col Robinson from these remains.
Cemetery: Arlington National
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, findagrave.com, Belleville New Democrat (1967)
Robert Harold Rexius, age 18, from Saginaw, Michigan, Saginaw county.
Service era: Korea
Military history: 35th Infantry Regiment
Date of death: Wednesday, October 11, 1950
Death details: Killed in action, South Korea
Cemetery: Oakwood, Saginaw
Source: National Archives, 35th Infantry Regiment Association
Robert William Knight, age 33, from Saginaw, Michigan, Saginaw county.
Spouse: Virginia S. Knight
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Wednesday, October 25, 1944
Death details: Killed in a sea battle
Source: National Archives, Ypsilanti Daily Press (1944)
Truitt Allen Anderson, age 21, from Saginaw, Michigan, Saginaw county.
Parents: John A. Eastman
Spouse: Truitt A. Anderson
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Saturday, November 20, 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 Truitt A. Anderson entered the U.S. Marine Corps from Ohio and was a member of Company D, 2nd Battalion, 18th Marines, 2nd Marine Division. He was killed in action during the Battle of Tarawa on November 20, 1943. Private First Class Anderson was reportedly buried on Betio; however, he could not be identified among the remains disinterred from the island following the war. Today, Private First Class Anderson is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Cemetery: Tablets of the Missing at Honolulu Memorial
Source: National Archives, American Battle Monuments Commission, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Edwin Charles Jastrzemski, age 22, from Saginaw, Michigan, Saginaw county.
Parents: Stephen Jastrzemski
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Sunday, December 7, 1941
Death details: Killed aboard the USS Arizona. Remains not recovered.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency,MIA
William Richard LaFrance, age 19, from Saginaw, Michigan, Saginaw county.
Parents: William Phillip Lafrance
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Sunday, December 7, 1941
Death details: Killed aboard the USS Arizona. Remains not recovered.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Henry Landman, age 25, from Saginaw, Michigan, Saginaw county.
Parents: Casper Landman
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Sunday, December 7, 1941
Death details: Killed aboard the USS Arizona. Remains not recovered.
Source: Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, UPI (1942)