Timothy David Amick, age 18, from St. Petersburg, Florida, Pinellas county.
Parents: Fredrick J. Amick
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Monday, November 9, 1970
Death details: Killed in action
Source: National Archives, Tampa Times (1970)
Amick, Timothy David
Evans, Richard Wayne
Marines Corporal
Richard Wayne Evans, age 21, from St. Petersburg, Florida, Pinellas county.
Parents: Marvin Evans
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Monday, July 13, 1970
Death details: Non-hostile death
Source: National Archives, Associated Press (1970)
Miller, Edward Martin
Army Staff sergeant
Edward Martin Miller, age 21, from St. Petersburg, Florida, Pinellas county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Tuesday, May 26, 1970
Source: National Archives
Whitmore, James Robert
Army Warrant officer 1st class
James Robert Whitmore, age 20, from St. Petersburg, Florida, Palm Beach county.
Parents: Robert A. Whitmore
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Sunday, January 4, 1970
Source: National Archives, Danville Bee (1970)
Seagoe, Richard David
Air Force Master sergeant
Richard David Seagoe, age 26, from St. Petersburg, Florida, Pinellas county.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Friday, June 1, 1951
Death details: On June 1, 1951, a B-29A Superfortress (tail number 44-86327) carrying thirteen crew members took off from Yokota Air Base, Japan, as one of eleven aircraft in the first of three flights on a bombing mission against enemy railroad bridges in the Kwakson area of North Korea. While in the target area, the formation’s fighter escort began running low on fuel and departed to refuel. During the escort’s absence, this Superfortress came under attack by enemy MiG-15 fighters. When the escort fighters returned they attempted to fight off the MiGs; however, this Superfortress had already sustained severe damage. The damaged bomber attempted to fly towards the sea, but exploded and crashed northwest of Pyongyang. Prior to the crash, four parachutes were observed leaving the aircraft. The loss occurred behind enemy lines, precluding a ground search for survivors. Of the thirteen crew members, three were captured and eventually released into U.S. custody, and three bodies were found by the enemy, buried, and returned after the war. The other seven crew members remain unaccounted for. Master Sergeant Richard David Seagoe entered the U.S. Air Force from Florida and served with the 343rd Bombardment Squadron, 98th Bombardment Group. He was the flight engineer aboard the Superfortress when it crashed, and his remains were not recovered. Today, Master Sergeant Seagoe is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Sargent, Perley Watson
Marines Private 1st class
Perley Watson Sargent, age 23, from St. Petersburg, Florida, Pinellas county.
Parents: Leon H. Sargent
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. Private First Class Perley Watson Sargent joined the U.S. Marine Corps from Georgia and served with Company B, 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division. PFC Sargent was killed in action on November 20, 1943, and was buried in Main Marine Cemetery #33, Grave #13, Row #2, Plot #14. His remains could not be located after the war. Today, Private First Class Sargent is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Mackey, Donald Dale
Navy Electrician’s mate 1st class
Donald Dale Mackey from St. Petersburg, Florida, Pinellas county.
Spouse: Evelyn Mackey
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Thursday, June 25, 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. Electrician’s Mate First Class Donald D. Mackey entered the U.S. Navy from New York and served aboard the USS Canopus (AS-9), which was anchored off Mariveles in the Philippines during the Japanese invasion. In late February 1942, crew members from the Canopus were evacuated to Corregidor to support the 4th Marine Regiment’s defense of the island. After the American surrender on May 6, 1942, he was taken prisoner and interned at the Cabanatuan Prison Camp in Nueva Ecija Province, where he died of dysentery on June 25, 1942. 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, Electrician’s Mate First Class Mackey is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency