Murvyn Hargraves, age 21, from Santa Maria, California, Santa Barbara county.
Spouse: Kathleen (Mann)
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Sunday, July 26, 1970
Death details: Killed in action in Veitnam
Source: National Archives, Santa Maria Times (1970)
Dale Patrick Meehan from Santa Maria, California, Santa Barbara county.
Spouse: Sherry D. Meehan
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Thursday, June 25, 1970
Death details: Killed in action
Source: National Archives, Los Angeles Times (1970)
Daniel Joseph Vaughan, age 20, from Lompoc, California, Santa Barbara county.
Parents: Mr. and Mrs. Oscar G. Vaughan
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Monday, May 11, 1970
Source: National Archives, San Francisco Examiner (1970)
Toby Richard Gritz, age 25, from Santa Barbara, California, Santa Barbara county.
Spouse: Tanya A. Gritz
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Wednesday, March 25, 1970
Death details: Body recovered
Source: National Archives, The Signal (1970), Fort Worth Star Telegram (1970)
Dennis Philip Cook, age 29, from Santa Barbara, California, Santa Barbara county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Wednesday, April 6, 1966
Death details: Lieutenant Dennis Philip Cook, who joined the U.S. Navy from California, was a member of Attack Squadron 212, embarked aboard the USS Hancock (CVA 19). On April 6, 1966, he piloted a single-seat A-4E Skyhawk (bureau number 152052, call sign “Flying Eagle”) that was preparing for a night catapult launch from the deck of the Hancock. A malfunction during the launch prevented LT Cook’s aircraft from gaining sufficient speed, and it crashed into the water forward of the ship, in the vicinity of (GC) 49Q AV 850 900. Lieutenant Cook was not seen to bail out of the aircraft before it hit the water. The crash site was immediately searched but searchers found no sign of LT Cook, and further attempts to locate him were unsuccessful. Today, Lieutenant Cook is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Based on all information available, DPAA assessed the individual’s case to be in the analytical category of Non-recoverable.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Joe Donald Uribe, age 19, from Santa Barbara, California, Santa Barbara county.
Parents: Margarite O. Uribe
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 Joe Donald Uribe joined the U.S. Army from California and served in the Medical Company of the 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. On November 2, 1950, he and other members of the Medical Company were supporting 8th Cavalry Regiment elements near Unsan when they received orders to withdraw. During this moving battle, PFC Uribe went missing, though circumstances surrounding his loss are unknown. He was not reported as a prisoner of war nor have his remains been recovered or returned to the U.S. since the ceasefire. Today, Private First Class Uribe is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Santa Maria Times (1954)
Clarence H. White, age 39, from Santa Barbara County California.
Children: Nancy White, about 5; other daughter born while he was across seas
Service era: World War II
Military history: Army – Medical Corps
Date of death: Thursday, January 11, 1945
Death details: On December 13, 1944, Japanese forces in the Philippines began the transfer of 1,621 Allied prisoners of war (POWs) to Japan. The POWs were to make the journey aboard transport ships whose harsh conditions and extreme overcrowding led survivors to refer to them as “Hell Ships.” The ships also lacked markings that would distinguish them from any other military target, causing some of them to be attacked by Allied forces who could not identify them as POW transports. On December 14, 1944, Allied aircraft attacked the first ship, the Oryoku Maru, in Subic Bay in the Philippines, killing many Allied POWs who became lost in the water, sank with the ship, or were washed ashore. Survivors of the bombing were put aboard two other ships, the Enoura Maru and the Brazil Maru, to continue on to Japan. During the journey, while anchored in Takao Harbor, Formosa (present-day Taiwan), the Enoura Maru was attacked by Allied aircraft from the USS Hornet (CV-8), killing Allied POWs who were lost in the water, on board the ship, or on the nearby shore. Survivors of the Enoura Maru bombing were loaded onto the Brazil Maru, and reached Japan on January 30, 1945. As a result of these incidents, Allied POWs were lost in the Philippines, at sea between the Philippines and Taiwan, while anchored in Taiwan, at sea between Taiwan and Japan, and in Japan. The attacks on these POW transports ultimately resulted in a series of death notifications from the Japanese government through the International Red Cross (IRC), and some casualties were given up to five different dates of death at various locations during the transfer. Witness accounts from surviving POWs offer detailed information for a handful of casualties, but the specific dates of loss and/or last-known locations for many of these POWs are based on the most recent reported date of death. Major Clarence H. White, who joined the U.S. Army from California, commanded the Medical Detachment, 31st Infantry Regiment, Philippine Division, during World War II. He was taken as a POW following the Japanese invasion and was interned in the islands until December 1944, when he was put aboard the Oryoku Maru for transport to Japan. Records indicate MAJ White was killed several weeks later in the attack on the Enoura Maru; however, these reports often involve information solely furnished by enemy governments, with some casualties given multiple dates of death. Future research may determine that these reports were inaccurate. Attempts to locate and identify MAJ White’s remains following the end of hostilities were unsuccessful. Today, Major White is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Bernard Elmer Shealy, age 25, from Santa Barbara, California, Santa Barbara. county.
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. Warrant Officer Bernard Elmer Shealy entered the U.S. Marine Corps from South Carolina and served in the Headquarters & Service Company of the 2nd Amphibious Tractor Battalion, 2nd Marine Division. He was killed in action on November 20 during the Battle of Tarawa. He was buried in Main Marine Cemetery, Cemetery #33, Grave #1, Row #2, Plot #8 on Betio, but after the war his remains were not identified among those disinterred from Betio. Today, Warrant Officer Shealy 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 W. Newman from California, Santa Barbara county.
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Thursday, August 13, 1942
Death details: Following the Allied surrender on the Bataan Peninsula on April 9, 1942, the Japanese began the forcible transfer of American and Filipino prisoners of war to various prison camps in central Luzon, at the northern end of the Philippines. The largest of these camps was the notorious Cabanatuan Prison Camp. At its peak, Cabanatuan held approximately 8,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war that were captured during and after the Fall of Bataan. Camp overcrowding worsened with the arrival of Allied prisoners who had surrendered from Corregidor on May 6, 1942. Conditions at the camp were poor, with food and water extremely limited, leading to widespread malnutrition and outbreaks of malaria and dysentery. By the time the camp was liberated in early 1945, approximately 2,800 Americans had died at Cabanatuan. Prisoners were forced to bury the dead in makeshift communal graves, often completed without records or markers. As a result, identifying and recovering remains interred at Cabanatuan was difficult in the years after the war. Second Lieutenant Robert W. Newman joined the U.S. Army Air Forces from California and was a member of the 3rd Pursuit Squadron, 24th Pursuit Group in the Philippines during World War II. He was captured in Bataan following the American surrender on April 9, 1942, and died of malaria on August 13, 1942, at the Cabanatuan Prison Camp in Nueva Ecija Province. He was buried in a communal grave in the camp cemetery along with other deceased American POWs; however, his remains could not be associated with any remains recovered from Cabanatuan after the war. Today, Second Lieutenant Newman is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Raymond C. Smith from California, Santa Barbara county.
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Sunday, July 12, 1942
Death details: Following the Allied surrender on the Bataan Peninsula on April 9, 1942, the Japanese began the forcible transfer of American and Filipino prisoners of war to various prison camps in central Luzon, at the northern end of the Philippines. The largest of these camps was the notorious Cabanatuan Prison Camp. At its peak, Cabanatuan held approximately 8,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war that were captured during and after the Fall of Bataan. Camp overcrowding worsened with the arrival of Allied prisoners who had surrendered from Corregidor on May 6, 1942. Conditions at the camp were poor, with food and water extremely limited, leading to widespread malnutrition and outbreaks of malaria and dysentery. By the time the camp was liberated in early 1945, approximately 2,800 Americans had died at Cabanatuan. Prisoners were forced to bury the dead in makeshift communal graves, often completed without records or markers. As a result, identifying and recovering remains interred at Cabanatuan was difficult in the years after the war. Technician Fourth Grade Raymond C. Smith joined the U.S. Army from California and served with the 228th Signal Operations Company in the Philippines during World War II. He was captured on Corregidor Island following the American surrender on May 6, 1942, and died of malaria on July 12, 1942, at the Cabanatuan Prison Camp in Nueva Ecija Province. He was buried in a communal grave in the camp cemetery along with other deceased American POWs; however, his remains could not be associated with any remains recovered from Cabanatuan after the war. Today, Technician Fourth Grade Smith is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency