Allan Andrew Morr, age 21, from Shiawasse, Michigan
Service era: Iraq
Military history: Company C, 1St Battalion, 327Th Infantry, 1St Bct, 101St Aa, Fort Campbell, Ky
Date of death: Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Death details: Hostile; Al Hawijah, Iraq
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
Paul Justin Cassidy, age 36, from Laingsburg, Michigan, Shiawassee county.
Service era: Iraq
Military history: 432Nd Civil Affairs Battalion, Kalamazoo, Michigan
Date of death: Sunday, July 13, 2003
Death details: Camp Babylon, Iraq
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
John Pospilsil, age 40, from Shiawassee County Owosso, Michigan .
Military history: Alaska Army National Guard
Date of death: Thursday, November 12, 1992
Death details: He was among eight Alaska National guardsmen killed when their National Guard plane crashed on the Chilkat Pennisula en route to Juneau.
Source: Juneau Empire (1992), Anchorage Daily News (1992)
Donald Joseph Murphy, age 20, from Owosso, Michigan, Shiawassee county.
Parents: Donald J. Murphy
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Saturday, June 20, 1970
Death details: Hostile, killed, South Vietnam
Source: National Archives., UPI (1970)
Dwight I. Ade, age 22, from Owosso, Michigan, Shiawassee county.
Parents: Harry Ade
Spouse: Carol
Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Corunna High (1965), Michigan State University
Date of death: Sunday, March 29, 1970
Death details: Hostile, killed, South Vietnam
Source: National Archives, Lansing State Journal (1970)
Ralph Joel Crutts, age 21, from Owosso, Michigan, Shiawassee county.
Parents: Kenneth and Virginia Norrs Crutts
Spouse: None
Children: None
Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Owosso High (1966), Flint Junior College
Date of death: Sunday, May 18, 1969
Death details: Hostile, died of wounds, South Vietnam during the Battle of Hamburger Hill
Source: National Archives, Owosso Argus-Press (1969), Department of Defense
Ralph Joel Crutts, age 21, from Owosso, Michigan, Shiawassee county.
Parents: Kenneth and Virginia Norrs Crutts
Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Owosso High (1966), Flint Junior College
Date of death: Sunday, May 18, 1969
Death details: Hostile, died of wounds, South Vietnam during the Battle of Hamburger Hill
Source: National Archives, Owosso Argus-Press (1969), Department of Defense
Hazen Calvin Hendrick, age 23, from Shiawassee County Caro, Michigan .
Parents: Hazen and Nina Hendrick
Spouse: Dolores (Walworth
Service era: Korea
Military history: World War II veteran
Date of death: Tuesday, June 19, 1951
Death details: On February 5, 1951, Allied forces in Korea launched an offensive against North Korean and Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) north of Wonju. Republic of Korea units and the 38th Infantry Regiment and supporting artillery units, including the 15th and 503rd Field Artillery Battalions, and the 82nd Antiaircraft Artillery and Automatic Weapons Battalion, initially met light resistance on their drive to the north. On February 11, the CCF launched an aggressive counteroffensive that caused the Allies to withdraw back southward. However, the CCF had established a series of roadblocks on the road to the south, forcing the Allies to fight their way back to friendly lines. Sergeant First Class Hazen Calvin Hendrick entered the U.S. Army from Michigan and was a member of K Company, 3rd Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was wounded and taken as a prisoner of war (POW) by enemy forces during the Regiment’s fighting withdrawal. He was transferred north toward the POW camps on the Yalu River, however, he died of malnutrition and of his wounds in mid-June 1951, at the village of Kangdong while en route to the camps. He was buried there by his companions. U.S. investigators have not been able to access the area to search for his burial site and he has not been associated with the remains later returned to U.S. custody. Today, Sergeant First Class Hendrick 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, Flint Journal (1954)
Laurence O’Dea, age 18, from Shiawassee County Bennington, Michigan .
Parents: Michael O’Dea
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Friday, December 1, 1950
Death details: By mid-November 1950, U.S. and Allied forces had advanced to within approximately sixty miles of the Yalu River, the border between North Korea and China. On November 25, approximately 300,000 Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) “volunteers” suddenly and fiercely counterattacked after crossing the Yalu. The 2nd Infantry Division, located the farthest north of units at the Chongchon River, could not halt the CCF advance and was ordered to withdraw to defensive positions at Sunchon in the South Pyongan province of North Korea. As the division pulled back from Kunu-ri toward Sunchon, it conducted an intense rearguard action while fighting to break through well-defended roadblocks set up by CCF infiltrators. The withdrawal was not complete until December 1, and the 2nd Infantry Division suffered extremely heavy casualties in the process. Corporal Laurence O’Dea, who joined the U.S. Army from Michigan, served with B Company, 2nd Engineer Combat Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He went missing in action on December 1, 1950, during his unit’s withdrawal from Kunu-ri to Sunchon. No one witnessed his death, and his body was not recovered from the battle. His name does not appear on any prisoner of war reports, and his remains have not been returned to U.S. custody. Corporal O’Dea is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Joseph William Wakefield, age 25, from Shiawassee County Wakefield, Michigan .
Spouse: Agatha (Parker)
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Tuesday, July 25, 1950
Death details: By July 1950, the North Korean People’s Army (NKPA) had taken control of Taejon, and the U.S. Eighth Army’s 25th Infantry Division and 1st Cavalry Division were sent into action. The 1st Cavalry Division deployed at Pohang between July 18-21 and immediately advanced west on the Taegu-Taejon road to establish blocking positions at Yongdong and defend the city. The ensuing three-day Battle of Yongdong was intense, and the 1st Cavalry Division was ultimately forced to withdraw on July 25 after the 5th Cavalry Regiment alone had lost 275 men. The battle inflicted heavy casualties on the NKPA and delayed its advance enough to allow United Nations (UN) forces to establish the Pusan Perimeter, but the NKPA still managed to capture many American prisoners of war (POWs). Prisoners were marched north to Seoul before being transferred to camps in Pyongyang. Many POWs were eventually rescued, though many others died from exhaustion and mistreatment. Poor record keeping by the NKPA and strained diplomatic tensions following the war have complicated the identification and recovery of those who went missing during the Battle of Yongdong, and many are still unaccounted for. Private Joseph William Wakefield entered the U.S. Army from Michigan and served in the Service Battery of the 77th Field Artillery Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division. He was killed in action on July 25, 1950, during the Battle of Yongdong, while driving a weapons carrier. Friendly forces were unable to recover his body as they withdrew from Yongdong, and by the time American forces retook the area in September, his remains could not be located. Further attempts to recover them have been unsuccessful. Today, Private Wakefield 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, Lansing State Journal (1950)