South Bend Indiana

Boorda, Jeremy
Navy Admiral

Jeremy Boorda, age 56, from South Bend, Indiana, St. Joseph county.

Spouse: Mae Moran Boorda (1938-2020)
Children: Four children

Service era: Iraq
Schools: Quit high school, ran away from home and lied about his age to join the Navy

Date of death: Thursday, May 16, 1996
Death details: Jeremy was upset because someone claimed he was not authorized to wear two valor medals. He was authorized to wear them, but that accusation was too much. He took his own life.
Cemetery: Arlington National

Source: suicide.org, New York Times (1996), U.S. Navy, findagrave.com

York, James H.
Air Force Major

James H. York, age 43, from South Bend, Indiana, Saint Joseph county.

Service era: Cold War

Date of death: Thursday, December 16, 1982
Death details: Among 9 crew members killed when their B-52 bomber crashed in a pasture near Mather Air Force Base, California.

Source: Charlotte News (1983), Lead Daily Call (1983), Lincoln Star (1982)

Yeakley, Robin Ray
Army Specialist 4

Robin Ray Yeakley, age 23, from South Bend, Indiana, St. Joseph county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Sunday, June 11, 1972
Death details: Army Capt. Arnold E. Holm Jr. of Waterford, Conn.; Spc. Robin R. Yeakley of South Bend, Ind.; and Pfc. Wayne Bibbs of Chicago, were buried as a group, in a single casket representing the entire crew, on Nov. 9, 2011 in Arlington National Cemetery. On June 11, 1972, Holm was the pilot of an OH-6A Cayuse helicopter flying a reconnaissance mission in Thua Thien-Hue Province, South Vietnam. Also on board were his observer, Yeakley, and his door gunner, Bibbs. The aircraft made a second pass over a ridge, where enemy bunkers had been sighted, exploded and crashed, exploding again upon impact. Crews of other U.S. aircraft, involved in the mission, reported receiving enemy ground fire as they overflew the crash site looking for survivors. On March 16, 2011, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC, now DPAA) identified the remains of Specialist 4 Robin Ray Yeakley, missing from the Vietnam War. Specialist 4 Yeakley joined the U.S. Army from Indiana and was a member of Troop F, 8th Cavalry Regiment. On June 11, 1972, he was the observer aboard an OH-6A Cayuse helicopter on a reconnaissance mission over Thua Thien-Hue Provence, Vietnam. Just after passing over a ridge in the target area, the OH-6A crashed and exploded, and SP4 Yeakley was killed. Enemy presence in the area prevented immediate recovery efforts for his remains. Between 1993 and 2008, joint U.S./Vietnamese search teams conducted investigations that located the OH-6A’s crash site. Human remains were recovered from the site and modern forensic techniques were able to identify SP4 Yeakley among the remains recovered.
Cemetery: Arlington National

Source: National Archives

Creamer, Charles Forak III
Army Chief warrant officer

Charles Forak III Creamer, age 24, from South Bend, Indiana, Saint Joseph county.

Parents: Charles F. Creamer Jr.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Saturday, November 28, 1970
Death details: Hostile in South Vietnam. Killed in a helicopter crash

Source: National Archives, South Bend Tribune (1970)

Nemeth, Joseph Steven
Army Private 1st class

Joseph Steven Nemeth, age 20, from South Bend, Indiana, Saint Joseph county.

Parents: Joseph L. Nemeth

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Friday, April 10, 1970
Death details: Hostile in South Vietnam

Source: National Archives, Associated Press (1970)

Walters, Tim Leroy
Army Staff sergeant

Tim Leroy Walters, age 26, from South Bend, Indiana, Saint Joseph county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Sunday, March 9, 1969
Death details: On December 1, 1999, Joint Task Force–Full Accounting (JTF-FA, now DPAA) identified the remains of Staff Sergeant Tim Leroy Walters, missing from the Vietnam War. Staff Sergeant Walters entered the U.S. Army from Indiana and was a member of Headquarters, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam. On March 9, 1969, he was the observer aboard an O-2A Skymaster (tail number 67-21425, call sign “Nail 40”) on a combat support mission over Laos. While over Savannakhet Province, the aircraft was shot down by enemy fire, killing SSG Walters. A ground search team found the wreckage but the active enemy presence in the area prevented the recovery of SSG Walters’ body at the time. Investigators eventually returned to the crash site and recovered human remains there, and U.S. analysts identified SSG Walters from these remains.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, findagrave.com

Higginbothan, Allen L.
Army Specialist 4

Allen L. Higginbothan, age 23, from Saint Joseph County South Bend, Indiana .

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Saturday, April 2, 1966
Death details: Hostile in South Vietnam

Source: National Archives, Associated Press (1966)

Hills, John Russell
Air Force Major

John Russell Hills, age 40, from Saint Joseph County South Bend, Indiana .

Parents: John H. Hills
Spouse: Ruth
Children: Steven, 18; John, 1; Thomas 14; Eric, 10

Service era: Vietnam
Schools: University of Michigan

Date of death: Monday, February 14, 1966
Death details: Major John Russell Hills entered the U.S. Air Force from Indiana and was a member of the 1st Air Commando Squadron. On February 14, 1966, he was the pilot of a single-seat A-1E Skyraider (tail number 52-132665) on an armed reconnaissance mission over Laos. While strafing enemy ground targets, his aircraft crashed on a hill top in the vicinity of (GC) YC 164 071. It exploded and burned upon impact. Search and rescue efforts were conducted without success, and the hostile presence in the area prevented ground inspection of the crash site. Maj Hills remains unaccounted-for. Today, Major Hills is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. His name is also inscribed along with all his fallen comrades on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC.

Source: National Archives, South Bend Tribune, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Runkel, Ronald Lee
Marines Lance corporal

Ronald Lee Runkel, age 21, from Saint Joseph County South Bend, Indiana .

Parents: Harvey G. Runkel

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Tuesday, August 24, 1965
Death details: Killed when the transport plane he was aboard crashed in Hong Kong.

Source: National Archives, UPI (1965)

White, Theodore I.
Army Private 1st class

Theodore I. White, age 20, from Saint Joseph County South Bend, Indiana .

Service era: Korea
Schools: Freetown High
Military history: Company A, 499th Engineers, Battalion C

Date of death: Thursday, August 11, 1955
Death details: Killed in the collision of two Flying Boxcar in Germany.
Cemetery: Gorbett’s Chapel

Source: Associated Press (1955), Jackson County Banner (1955)

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