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
Willett, Robert Lee
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
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
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
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
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)
Homer, Henry Vernon
Navy Seaman 1st class
Henry Vernon Homer, age 21, from Springfield, Illinois, Sangamon county.
Parents: Harry Homer
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)
Mathein, Harold Richard
Navy Boilermaker 2nd class
Harold Richard Mathein, age 22, from Springfield, Illinois, Sangamon county.
Parents: George Henry Mathein
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
Miller, Marvin Eugene
Navy Seaman 2nd class
Marvin Eugene Miller, age 18, from Sangamon County Springfield, Illinois .
Parents: Shirley Miller
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Sunday, December 7, 1941
Death details: Killed aboard the USS Utah
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency