Tag: State of California

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Hope, John Grant Jr.
Army Sergeant

John Grant Jr. Hope, age 33, from Los Angeles County Glendale, California .

Spouse: Elizabeth J. Hope

Service era: Korea

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. Sergeant John Hope Grant Jr., who joined the U.S. Army from California, served with the Headquarters, Headquarters and Service Company of the 2nd Engineer Combat Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured by enemy forces on November 30, 1950, as his unit withdrew from Kunu-ri to Sunchon. He was marched with a large group of fellow prisoners to Camp 5, Pyoktong, North Korea, where he died on an unspecified date from malnutrition and pneumonia. He was buried at Camp 5, and his remains have not been recovered. Sergeant Grant 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, Los Angeles Times (1954), San Bernardino County Sun (1951)

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Lundquist, William Edwin
Army Corporal

William Edwin Lundquist, age 21, from Los Angeles County California.

Service era: Korea

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. Sergeant William Edwin Lundquist, who joined the U.S. Army from California, was a member of D Company, 2nd Engineer Combat Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured by the CCF during his unit’s fighting withdrawal from Kunu-ri on December 1. He was marched to Camp 5 in Pyoktong, North Korea, where he died of prior wounds and malnutrition in March of 1951. His remains have not been recovered, and he was not identified among remains returned to U.S. custody after the war. Today, Sergeant Lundquist is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

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Gilbert, Edward E.
Private

Edward E. Gilbert from Humboldt County Orleans, California .

Service era: World War I

Date of death: Unknown
Death details: Killed in action

Source: Soldiers of the Great War

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Behringer, Russell Floyd
Army Major sergeant

Russell Floyd Behringer from Solano County California.

Spouse: Liliana Behringer

Service era: Korea

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. Master Sergeant Russell Floyd Behringer entered the U.S. Army from California and served in B Company of the 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured on November 30, 1950, during the 2nd Infantry Division’s withdrawal to Sunch’on. Master Sergeant Behringer was among a group of prisoners of war (POWs) marched among various villages until early January 1951, when they were finally interned at Camp 5 along the banks of the Yalu River. By the time he reached Camp 5, MSG Behringer was extremely ill and died within a few weeks of pneumonia. The exact date was not recorded but occurred in March or April 1951, and other POWs buried MSG Behringer near the camp. After the war, American personnel could not reach the camp to disinter any remains and MSG Behringer was not identified among those remains returned to the U.S. after the armistice. Today, Master Sergeant Behringer 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, Stockton Evening and Sunday Reocrd (1953)

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Caldwell, William Smith
Army Private 1st class

William Smith Caldwell from Riverside County Banning, California .

Service era: Korea

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. Corporal William Smith Caldwell, who joined the U.S. Army from California, served with Battery A, 82nd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was taken prisoner of war on December 1, 1950, as his unit provided direct fire support to 2nd Infantry Division troops during its withdrawal from Kunu-ri to Sunchon, North Korea. After his capture, he was marched to a holding camp in the Pukchin Tarigol Valley where he died of malnutrition in late January or early February 1951. His remains were not recovered at the time, and he has not been identified among those returned to U.S. custody since the ceasefire. Today, Corporal Caldwell 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, The Californian (1951)

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Gantt, Joseph Enoch
Army Sergeant 1st class

Joseph Enoch Gantt from Los Angeles County Los Angeles, California .

Spouse: Clara Gantt

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Unknown
Death details: On November 26, 2013, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC, now DPAA) identified the remains of Sergeant First Class Joseph Enoch Gantt, missing from the Korean War. Sergeant First Class Gantt, who entered the U.S. Army from California, served with Battery C, 503rd Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. On December 1, 1950, he was captured by Chinese Communist Forces as his unit was attempting to withdraw from defensive positions near Kunu-ri, North Korea. He was taken to POW Camp 5 in Pyokdong, North Korea, where he died of malnutrition in the spring of 1951. In 1993, the North Korean government repatriated remains of U.S. service members lost during the Korean War, and SFC Gantt was eventually identified from among these remains. Sergeant First Class Gantt 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: Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Stockton Evening and Sunday Record (1953)

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Coombs, Milliard B.
Army Captain

Milliard B. Coombs from Sonoma County California.

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Unknown
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 Milliard B. Coombs, who entered the U.S. Army from California, served with the Corps of Engineers 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 Coombs 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. Captain Coombs’s remains could not be recovered by subsequent investigations. Today, Captain Coombs is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

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Munro, William Leonard
Navy Pharmacyist’s mate 2nd class

William Leonard Munro from San Francisco County San Francisco, California .

Spouse: Veronica C. Munro

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Unknown
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. Pharmacist’s Mate Second Class William Leonard Munro, who entered the U.S. Navy from Texas, served in the Philippines during World War II. He was taken as a POW following the Japanese invasion and interned in the islands until December 1944, when he was put aboard the Oryoku Maru for transport to Japan. Records indicate PMH2 Munro 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. Pharmacist’s Mate Second Class Munro’s remains could not be identified following the war, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Pharmacist’s Mate Second Class Munro is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

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Roshe, Richard A.
Army Captain

Richard A. Roshe from Los Angeles County California.

Parents: Albert Walter Roshe

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Unknown
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 Richard A. Roshe entered the U.S. Army from California and was a member of Company L, 31st Infantry Regiment, in the Philippines during World War II. He was captured by enemy forces during the Japanese invasion of the Philippines and was interned in the islands until December 1944, when he was put aboard the Oryoku Maru for transport to Japan. The Oryoku Maru was bombed on December 14, but CPT Roshe survived and was transferred to the Enoura Maru to continue the journey. When the Enoura Maru was later bombed, he was wounded but survived and was then put aboard the Brazil Maru where he later died of his wounds, on January 7, 1945, and was likely buried at sea. Captain Roshe’s remains are unaccounted-for. Today, Captain Roshe is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Los Angeles Evening Citizen News (1943)

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Rotherhamm, Wilfred
Army Major

Wilfred Rotherhamm from Fresno County California.

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Unknown
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. Major Wilfred Rotherham, who joined the U.S. Army Air Forces from California, served with the Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, 5th Air Base Group, 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 MAJ Rotherham 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. His remains were not identified or recovered after the war, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Major Rotherham is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency