Tag: Sangamon County Illinois

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O’Donnell, Michael Davis
Army Major

Michael Davis O’Donnell, age 24, from Springfield, Illinois, Sangamon county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: March 24, 1970
Death details: On February 15, 2001, Joint Task Force-Full Accounting (JTF-FA, now DPAA) identified the remains of Major Michael Davis O’Donnell, missing from the Vietnam War.

Major O’Donnell joined the U.S. Army from Illinois and was a member of the 170th Aviation Company. On March 24, 1970, he was the aircraft commander aboard a UH-1H Iroquois on a mission to extract a long-range reconnaissance patrol in Ratanakiri Province, Cambodia. The aircraft picked up the recon team and was beginning its ascent when it suffered an explosion that caused it to crash. Major O’Donnell was killed in the incident. Heavy enemy presence in the area prevented ground investigations of the UH-1H’s crash site at the time. In April 1995, a U.S. search team recovered remains associated with the loss of MAJ O’Donnell’s helicopter. In 2001, advances in forensic techniques allowed for some of the recovered remains to be identified as those of MAJ O’Donnell.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

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Knecht, Paul Herbert
Army Specialist 4

Paul Herbert Knecht, age 21, from Springfield, Illinois, Sangamon county.

Parents: Paul F. Knecht

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Wednesday, February 11, 1970
Death details: Hostile, killed in South Vietnam

Source: National Archives, Associated Press (1970)

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Willett, Robert Lee
Army Sergeant

Robert Lee Willett, age 24, from Springfield, Illinois, Sangamon county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Sunday, January 18, 1970
Death details: Hostile, killed in South Vietnam

Source: National Archives

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Achas, Robert John
Marines Lance corporal

Robert John Achas, age 22, from Springfield, Illinois, Sangamon county.

Parents: Anthony J. Achas said “I guess about all you can say is that it is a misfortune of war.”

Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Griffin High (1962)

Date of death: Sunday, March 14, 1965
Death details: Died of rifle shot wounds inflicted March 14 when his fire team returned to where they had left another member. They apparently returned from a direction different from the one the guard expected and he fired thinking it was the Viet Cong. Robert was killed instantly
Cemetery: Camp Butler National

Source: National Archives, Abilene Reporter (1965), findagrave.com

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Moffitt, James Richard
Marine Corps Private 1st Class

James Richard Moffitt, age 23, from Springfield, Illinois, Sangamon county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, March 26, 1953
Death details: In late March 1953, elements of the 1st Marine Division manned a string of outposts along a 33-mile section of the main line of resistance on the Korean Peninsula, near the present-day Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The 1st Marine Division’s 5th Marine Regiment was responsible for three of these outposts, named Carson, Reno, and Vegas, or collectively “the Nevada Cities Complex.” On March 26, Chinese Communist Forces attacked all three outposts. Although Carson managed to stave off the assault, Reno and Vegas, which were more lightly manned, eventually succumbed to the enemy. Over 1,000 Marines were killed, wounded, or went missing during the attack on the Nevada Cities Complex. Private First Class James Richard Moffitt entered the U.S. Marine Corps from Illinois and served with C Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. He was killed in action on March 26, 1953, during the attack on Outpost Reno, though specific details of his loss are not known. The area of his loss never returned to friendly control, precluding a search for his remains. He is still unaccounted-for. Today, Private First Class Moffitt 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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Hobbs, Hoy Everett
Army Private

Hoy Everett Hobbs, age 21, from Rochester, Illinois, Sangamon county.

Parents: Sallie Mellisia Hobbs

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Wednesday, October 15, 1952
Death details: On October 14, 1952, as part of Operation SHOWDOWN, members of the 2nd Battalion of the U.S. 31st Infantry Regiment launched an attack against Hill 598, part of the “Triangle Hill Complex” near Kumhwa, South Korea. As the units moved toward the hill, the men faced dug-in Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) positioned in holes and trenches, slowing their advance. As night fell, enemy mortar and artillery fire intensified, and CCF troops counterattacked in overwhelming force. The enemy’s initial assault was beaten back, but successive waves of CCF troops isolated and destroyed sections of the American defenses; in danger of being surrounded and nearly out of ammunition, the men of the 2nd Battalion were ordered to fall back. After regrouping on October 15, members of the 2nd Battalion attacked Hill 598 again and eventually secured it. During this attack, the 2nd Battalion’s Company F followed Company E to the hill’s crest before pushing out to “Pike’s Peak,” the next hill to the northwest, and then turning toward the east to seize “Sandy Ridge.” The 2nd Battalion again met a CCF counter-attack, which they beat back to secure the salient for that day. Twelve members of Company F and four members of Company E were reported killed or missing following this battle. Private First Class Hoy Everett Hobbs entered the U.S. Army from Illinois and served in Company E, 2nd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was last observed while defending the newly captured Hill 598 near Kumhwa on October 15, 1952, and was later reported missing in action. Private First Class Hobbs was not reported as a prisoner of war. He was not identified among the remains returned to U.S. custody following the war, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Private First Class Hobbs is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Belleville Daily Advocate (1954)

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Shippen, Charles Henry
Army Private 1st Class

Charles Henry Shippen from Springfield, Illinois, Sangamon 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. Private First Class Charles Henry Shippen, who joined the U.S. Army from Illinois, was a member of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. By midnight on November 1, the 8th Cavalry Regiment was forced to withdraw from Unsan to Ipsok to avoid encirclement by the enemy. The CCF infiltrated the road out of Unsan and continuously fired on the withdrawing men, who had to fight through several enemy road blocks to reach Ipsok. Private First Class Shippen was captured during this fighting withdrawal. He was eventually taken to Camp 5, a prison camp on the bank of the Yalu River in Pyoktong, North Korea. He died of malnutrition at Camp 5 in March of 1951. His remains have not been recovered or identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the war. Today, Private First Class Shippen is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Saint Louis Glob Democrat (1950

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Batchelor, Marion F.
Army Private

Marion F. Batchelor from Illinois, Sangamon county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Tuesday, July 11, 1950
Death details: On July 11, 1950, the U.S. Army’s 21st Infantry Regiment, which had arrived in Korea six days earlier, was placed in defensive positions near the town of Chochiwon, South Korea. The regiment was not at full strength and lacked artillery and anti-tank weapons. That day, they were attacked by North Korean forces and were forced to withdraw to avoid being surrounded, as well as to buy time until they could be reinforced and resupplied. Private First Class Marion F. Batchelor, who joined the U.S. Army from Illinois, served with K Company, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on July 11, 1950, near Chochiwon, though specific details regarding his loss are unknown. He was not seen to fall in battle and he was not reported to be a prisoner of war. Searches for his remains once Allied forces regained control of the area were unsuccessful, and his remains were not identified following the war. Today, Private First Class Batchelor 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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Toros, Arthur Dale
Marines Private 1st class

Arthur Dale Toros, age 21, from Springfield, Illinois, Sangamon county.

Parents: Marie Freezee

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Monday, November 22, 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 Arthur D. Toros joined the U.S. Marine Corps from Illinois and was a member of Company B, 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, which took part in the Battle of Tarawa. On November 22, 1943, he was killed in action on Betio and was buried in Cemetery #11, but after the war his remains were not located and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Private First Class Toros 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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Gould, Harry Lee
Navy Seaman 1st class

Harry Lee Gould, age 23, from Springfield, Illinois, Sangamon county.

Parents: Harry Gould

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, UPI (1941)