Promote & Preserve stories of U.S. fallen soldiers/sailors
Jackie Charles Carter, age 20, from San Jose, California, Santa Clara 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: Oak Himm Memorial Park in San Jose
Source: National Archives, virtualwall.org
Augusto Maria Xavier, age 24, from San Jose, California, Santa Clara county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Thursday, March 10, 1966
Death details: First Lieutenant Augusto Maria Xavier entered the U.S. Marine Corps from California and served in Marine Attack Squadron 311, Marine Air Group 12, 1st Marine Air Wing. On March 10, 1966, he was piloting a single-seat A-4C Skyhawk (bureau number 148518) as one of two aircraft on a close air support mission over a special forces camp in the A Shau Valley, which was under attack and in danger of being overrun. The target area was obscured by heavy cloud cover, and 1stLt Xavier descended below the clouds for an attack run when the other pilot on the mission saw a bright orange flash through the clouds. There was no further contact with 1stLt Xavier, and he was not seen again. Search and rescue efforts failed to locate a crash site, and subsequent attempts to locate 1stLt Xavier or his remains were unsuccessful. Today, First Lieutenant Xavier is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Robert R. Glassman from San Jose, California, Santa Clara county.
Spouse: Joyce B. Glassman
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Friday, March 16, 1962
Death details: Among 93 soldiers aboard a transport plane on a “secret mission” to Vietnam. Wreaths Across America in 2021: “Very little is known about what happened to the plane and its passengers, and due to the circumstance surrounding this mission, the names of those lost have not yet been added to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C.”
Cemetery: A memorial honoring the lives lost was dedicated in 2021 in Columbia Falls, Maine
Source: Atlanta Counstitution (1962), MauiNow (2021), UPI (1962)
Robert Earl Parnow, age 20, from San Jose, California, Santa Clara county.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Thursday, November 2, 1950
Death details: During the last week of October 1950, Republic of Korea (ROK) Army forces under the control of the U.S. Eighth Army were advancing deep in North Korean territory, approaching the Yalu River on the Chinese-Korean border. Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) struck back in a surprise attack, engaging the ROK 1st and 6th Divisions near Unsan, some sixty miles north of Pyongyang. The U.S. 1st Cavalry Division, with the 8th Cavalry Regiment in the lead, was rushed forward to reinforce the ROK units in the Unsan area. On November 1, the regiment’s 1st Battalion took up positions north of Unsan, while the 2nd Battalion moved to guard the Nammyon River valley west of town, and the 3rd Battalion was placed in reserve at the valley’s southern end. Sergeant Robert Earl Parnow joined the U.S. Army from California and was a member of Company D of the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. On November 2, 1950, members of Company D were in defensive positions with the 1st Battalion near Unsan, when they received orders to withdraw after a massive assault by the Chinese. Sergeant Parnow went missing during the withdrawal, though specific details surrounding his disappearance are unknown. He was not reported as a prisoner of war, and his remains were not among any that were returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire. Today, Sergeant Parnow is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Los Angeles Times (1954)
Keith Webster Kelley from San Jose, California, Santa Clara county.
Spouse: Mrs. Dolores Margaret Kelley
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
Thomas Frank Johnson, age 18, from San Jose, California, Santa Clara county.
Parents: Thomas W. Johnson
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Tuesday, November 23, 1943
Death details: The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced that Marine Corps Reserve Pfc. Thomas F. Johnson, of San Jose, California, killed during World War II, was accounted for on May 6, 2020. In November 1943, Johnson was a member of Company B, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, which landed against stiff Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands, in an attempt to secure the island. Over several days of intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded, while the Japanese were virtually annihilated. Johnson died on the fourth day of battle, Nov. 23, 1943. He was reported to have been buried in Row D of the East Division Cemetery, later renamed Cemetery 33.
Cemetery: Buried in 2020 in Red Bluff, California
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Hugh Wilbur Johnson, age 21, from San Jose, California, Santa Clara county.
Parents: Thomas W. Johnson
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. Sergeant Hugh Wilbur Johnson, who joined the U.S. Marine Corps from California, was a member of Company A, 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division. He was killed in action during the Battle of Tarawa on November 21, 1943. He was buried in the Division Cemetery on Betio Island, but post-war searches of burial site on Tarawa were unable to locate his remains. Today, Sergeant Johnson is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Allan C. Daley, age 22, from San Jose, California, Santa Clara county.
Parents: Eunice M. Daley
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 Allan C. Daley, who joined the U.S. Marine Corps from California, served with Company C, 1st Battalion, 18th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division. He was killed in action on November 20, 1943, during the Battle of Tarawa. His body was interred at Lone Palm Cemetery on Tarawa; however, after the war his remains could not be identified among those recovered from the burial sites, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Private First Class Daley is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Gordon Eddy Moulton from San Jose, California, Santa Clara county.
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
Guadalupe Pilar Rico Rico, age 21, from San Jose, California, Santa Clara county.
Parents: Guadalup A. Rico
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, San Francisco Examiner (1941)