Tag: State of Arizona

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Vejar, Frank G.
Army Sergeant

Frank G. Vejar, age 19, from Arizona, Cochise county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, November 30, 1950

Death details: Accounted for April 14, 2020. In late 1950, Vejar was a member of Heavy Mortar Company, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Nov. 30, 1950, when his unit was attacked by enemy forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea. Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered.
On July 27, 2018, following the summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un in June 2018, North Korea turned over 55 boxes, purported to contain the remains of American service members killed during the Korean War. The remains arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii on Aug. 1, 2018, and were subsequently accessioned into the DPAA laboratory for identification.
To identify Vejar’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and autosomal DNA (auSTR) analysis.
Vejar’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with the others who are still missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Vejar will be buried in his hometown.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

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Alaniz, Robert Gonzalez
Army Corporal

Robert Gonzalez Alaniz, age 23, from Maricopa County Tucson, Arizona .

Spouse: Rita Alaniz

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Wednesday, November 29, 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. Sergeant Robert Gonzalez Alaniz, who joined the U.S. Army from Arizona, was a member of the Headquarters Company of the 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. On November 29, the 38th Infantry Regiment was ordered to defend the area east of Kunu-ri, to cover the start of the 2nd Division’s retreat. The CCF attacked as the 38th Infantry consolidated their defenses, forcing the defenders to fight their way back to Kunu-ri before joining the withdrawal to Sunchon. Large moving battles ensued, and SGT Alaniz went missing at some point during the series of retreats from the Kunu-ri area. He was never reported as a prisoner of war, and is thought to have been killed during one of the battles that took place during the withdrawals. Sergeant Alaniz’s remains have not been recovered, and he has not been associated with any remains returned to U.S. custody after the war. Today, Sergeant Alaniz 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, Tucson Daily Citizen (1951)

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Yurko, George
Army Private

George Yurko, age 35, from Arizona, Gila county.

Service era: World War II
Military history: 1009 Guard Squadron

Date of death: Wednesday, October 31, 1945
Death details: Died non-battle
Cemetery: New Albany National

Source: National Archives, grave marker

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Gober, George W.
Army Private

George W. Gober, age 28, from Pima County Arizona.

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Tuesday, January 16, 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. Corporal George M. Gober entered the U.S. Army from Montana and served in the Medical Detachment, 194th Tank Battalion, Provisional Tank Group. After the Japanese invasion of the Philippines, he fought during the withdrawal to Bataan and became a prisoner of war following the surrender of U.S. forces there. A witness reported that CPL Gober was on board a hell ship at Formosa and was killed when a bomb exploded beside the hull. His remains were never recovered. Today, CPL Gober is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Arizona Daily Star (1946)

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Ford, Jack A.
Army Captain

Jack A. Ford, age 37, from Pima County Arizona.

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Tuesday, January 9, 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. Captain Jack A. Ford entered the U.S. Army from Arizona and served in the 26th Cavalry Regiment (Philippine Scout) in the Philippines 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 CPT Ford 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 CPT Ford’s remains following the war were unsuccessful, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Captain Ford is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Tucson Daily Citizen (1946)

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Harrison, Mel L.
Army 1st lieutenant

Mel L. Harrison, age 32, from Pima County Tucson, Arizona .

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Tuesday, January 9, 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. First Lieutenant Mel L. Harrison, who entered the U.S. Army from the Philippines, served with the 43rd Infantry Regiment (Philippine Scouts) at the time of the Japanese invasion. He was taken prisoner by Japanese forces and interned on the Philippines until December 1944, when he was put aboard the ship Oryoku Maru for transport to Japan. 1LT Harrison 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. 1LT Harrison’s remains could not be identified following the war, and he is still unaccounted for. Today, First Lieutenant Harrison is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Tucson Citizen (1946)

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Stephens, William Harold
Army Captain

William Harold Stephens from Yavapai County Prescott, Arizona .

Service era: World War II
Schools: Prescott High, University of Arizona graduate

Date of death: Friday, December 15, 1944
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. Captain William Harold Stephens, who joined the U.S. Army Air Forces from Arizona, served in the Philippines 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 CPT Stephens 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 CPT Stephens’s remains following the end of hostilities were unsuccessful. Today, Captain Stephens is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Arizona Daily Star (1945)

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Shuey, Cread E.
Army Sergeant

Cread E. Shuey, age 23, from Arizona, Maricopa county.

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Sunday, September 27, 1942
Death details: On February 26, 2019, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced the identification of Sergeant Cread E. Shuey, missing from World War II. Sergeant Shuey, who entered the U.S. Army from Arizona, served with G Battery, 60th Coast Artillery Regiment. He was captured on Corregidor Island following the American surrender on May 6, 1942, and died of illness, likely dysentery, malaria, and malnutrition, on September 27, 1942, at the Cabanatuan Prison Camp in Nueva Ecija Province. He was buried in communal grave 439 in the camp cemetery along with other deceased American POWs. Following the war, the remains were recovered from Cabanatuan; however, his remains were not associated at the time and were then buried as “unknowns” at U.S. Armed Forces Cemetery 2 in Manila. In 2016, these remains were accessioned into a DPAA laboratory where U.S. analysts used modern forensic techniques and identified SGT Shuey from among these collective remains.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

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Dupuy, Glen Merrill
Army Private

Glen Merrill Dupuy from Pima County Tucson, Arizona .

Parents: Glen M. Dupuy

Service era: Korea
Schools: Tucson High (1948)

Date of death: Unknown
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. Private First Class Glen Merrill Dupuy, who joined the U.S. Army from Arizona, was a member of the Medical Company, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured by the CCF during the fighting withdrawal from Kunu-ri on December 1, 1950. PFC Dupuy was eventually marched to Camp 5, a prison camp on the bank of the Yalu River in Pyoktong, North Korea, where he died of dysentery, exhaustion, and pneumonia in March or April 1951. His remains have not been recovered, and he was not identified among remains returned to U.S. custody after the war. Today, Private First Class Dupuy 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, Arizona Daily Star (1951)