Saint Paul Minnesota

Walsh, Richard Ambrose III
Air Force Colonel

Richard Ambrose III Walsh, age 22, from Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: February 15, 1969
Death details: Lieutenant Colonel Richard Ambrose Walsh III, who joined the U.S. Air Force from Minnesota, was a member of the 602nd Special Operations Squadron, 56th Special Operations Group. On February 15, 1969, he piloted an A-1J Skyraider (serial number 52-142080) as the flight leader of a two-plane search and rescue mission. The formation took off from Nakhon Phanom Air Force base in Thailand and flew to Laos, where Lt. Col. Walsh made radio contact with a stranded soldier on the ground. As he made a low pass over the area to locate the man, his plane was hit by enemy anti-aircraft fire. The aircraft crashed, exploding upon impact with the ground. Lt. Col. Walsh’s wingman on the mission reported that he did not bail out of the Skyraider before it went down, and there were no signs of life at the crash site. Lt. Col. Walsh’s remains could not be recovered, and he is still unaccounted for. Lt. Col. Walsh was posthumously promoted to the rank of Colonel. Today, Colonel Walsh is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Schnurrer, Reinhard J. Jr.
Navy rm3

Reinhard J. Jr. Schnurrer, age 20, from Saint Paul, Minnesota, Ramsey county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Friday, November 1, 1968
Death details: Among 23 American sailors killed aboard the LST Westchester County when it was ripped open by an enemy mine as she swung at anchor in the My Tho River near Saigon.
Cemetery: Fort Snelling National

Source: National Archives, virtualwall.org

Handrahan, Eugene Allen
Army Sergeant 1st class

Eugene Allen Handrahan, age 21, from Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: October 10, 1968
Death details: Specialist 4 Eugene Allen Handrahan, who entered the U.S. Army from Minnesota, served with Company A of the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. On October 10, 1968, SP4 Handrahan was in a point man position as his unit assaulted an enemy position in Tay Ninh Province, South Vietnam. The unit was about to enter a hedgerow when they came under enemy machine gun fire. SP4 Handrahan and two other men were hit and killed by this fire, and could not be recovered at the time due to the enemy presence. The bodies of the two other men were subsequently retrieved, but that of SP4 Handrahan could not be located. He remains unaccounted for. Following the incident, the Army promoted SP4 Handrahan to the rank of Sergeant First Class. Today, Sergeant First Class Handrahan is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Mishuk, Richard Edward
Marines Staff sergeant

Richard Edward Mishuk from Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: October 19, 1966
Death details: On October 19, 1966, three service members from the same company were participating in a rest and relaxation program at the Cua Viet River, South Vietnam, in the vicinity of (GC) 48Q YD 344 698. The men received permission to swim in another section of the beach and an hour later, the three men were found missing from the beach area. Air and ground searches continued for three days, but teams were unable to locate any sign of the three men and all remain missing and further circumstances surrounding their loss remain unknown. Private First Class Richard Edward Mishuk, who joined the U.S. Marine Corps from Minnesota, was a member of Company A, 1st Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division. He went missing on October 19, 1966, and search efforts were unable to locate him or his remains.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Reilly, Lavern George
Air Force Colonel

Lavern George Reilly, age 40, from Ramsey County Saint Paul, Minnesota .

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Sunday, May 15, 1966
Death details: On November 24, 1999, Joint Task Force-Full Accounting (JTF-FA, now DPAA) identified the remains of Colonel Lavern George Reilly, missing from the Vietnam War. Colonel Reilly entered the U.S. Air Force from Minnesota and was a member of the 4th Air Commando Squadron. He served as an observer on board an AC-47D Spooky (serial number 43-49546) on an armed reconnaissance mission departing from Da Nang Air Base in South Vietnam. While operating over Laos, the Spooky was shot down by enemy forces and Colonel Reilly was killed. Hostile presence in the area prevented immediate recovery efforts. In 1997, a joint investigative team recovered remains which were later identified as those of Colonel Reilly.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Associated Press (1999)

Moore, Lyle Earl Jr.
Air Force 1st lieutenant

Lyle Earl Jr. Moore from St. Paul, Minnesota.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Wednesday, December 3, 1952
Death details: First Lieutenant Lyle Earl Moore entered the U.S. Air Force from Colorado and served with the 67th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, 18th Fighter-Bomber Group. On December 1, 1951, he piloted an RF-51D Mustang (tail number 44-84625) that took off from Hoengsong Air Base (K-46), Korea, as the second of four aircraft on a combat mission against enemy railroad targets in North Korea. While making a dive-bombing run in the target area, 1st Lt Moore’s Mustang was hit by enemy anti-aircraft fire. His aircraft crashed and exploded on the ground near Kichang. No radio contact was heard from 1st Lt Moore prior to the crash, and no parachute was seen in the air or on the ground. Members of his flight made several low-level passes over the burning wreckage but saw no sign of life. No returning POWs mentioned having contact with 1st Lt Moore, nor was he seen at any known holding point, interrogation center, hospital, or permanent POW camp. He remains unaccounted-for following the conflict. Today, First Lieutenant Moore is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Fastner, Michael Charles
Army Master sergeant

Michael Charles Fastner from Ramsey County Saint Paul, Minnesota .

Parents: Augusta M. Fastner

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, November 30, 1950
Death details: On September 21, 2010, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC, now DPAA) identified the remains of MSG Michael Charles Fastner, missing from the Korean War. Master Sergeant Fastner entered the U.S. Army from Minnesota and served in A Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured by the enemy on or around November 30, 1950, as his unit withdrew from positions near Kugang, North Korea. MSG Fastner was interned at POW Camp 5 at Pyoktong, Noth Korea, but died shortly after arriving in February 1951, from exhaustion and illness. He was buried near the camp, but his remains were not returned to the U.S. immediately following the war. In 1993, the North Korean government repatriated the remains of several U.S. service members, and in 2011, analysts were able to successfully identify MSG Fastner from among these remains. Master Sergeant Fastner is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. His name is also inscribed on the Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC, which was updated in 2022 to include the names of the fallen.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Minneapolis Star (1950)

Stifter, Frank Thomas
Navy Radio technician 2

Frank Thomas Stifter, age 20, from Ramsey County Saint Paul, Minnesota .

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Monday, August 6, 1945
Death details: Killed aboard USS Bullhead SS-332 when it was sunk by air attack near the Lombok Strait.

Source: On Eternal Patrol

Belden, James Ira
Navy Reserves Seaman 2nd class

James Ira Belden from Saint Paul, Minnesota, Ramsey county.

Parents: Ira Eugene Belden

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: Tablets of the Missing at Manila American

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Carlstrom, Robert Donald
Navy Reserves Soundman 1st class

Robert Donald Carlstrom from Saint Paul, Minnesota, Ramsey county.

Spouse: Mildred Eda Carlstrom

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.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

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