State of Rhode Island

Banek, Lawrence Benjamin
Army Corporal

Lawrence Benjamin Banek, age 22, from Cumberland, Rhode Island.

Service era: Vietnam
Military history: 35th Infantry Regiment

Date of death: Friday, September 27, 1968
Death details: Killed by small arms fire, Quang Duc Province. Bronze Star citation: For heroism in connection with military operations against a hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam. Private First Class Banek distinguished himself while serving as a Rifleman with D, 2/35th Infantry. On 27 September 1968, Company D was called to the aid of a five-man listening and observation post which made contact with a large enemy force in a well-camouflaged bunker complex. Private First Class Banek’s company, upon reaching the beleaguered patrol, was immediately placed under a devastating barrage of light weapons and grenade fire. Private First Class Banek immediately upon contact moved out to the flank to provide security for the point element. With complete disregard for his personal safety, he moved well out in front of the maneuvering element and engaged the enemy. Private First Class Banek eliminated several enemy soldiers by firing his weapon and throwing hand grenades into the brunt of the attack aimed at his position. Private First Class Banek continued his support and cover of the other elements until he was mortally wounded by the intense enemy fire. Private First Class Banek’s exceptional courage, personal bravery, and complete devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the united States Army.
Cemetery: Mount Calvary, Cumberland

Source: National Archives, 35th Infantry Regiment Association

Mellor, Fredric Moore
Air Force Lieutenant colonel

Fredric Moore Mellor, age 30, from Cranston, Rhode Island.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: August 13, 1965
Death details:  On July 13, 2018, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Colonel Fredric Moore Mellor, missing from the Vietnam War.

Colonel Mellor entered the U.S. Air Force from Rhode Island and served with the 363rd Tactical Fighter Wing. On August 13, 1965, he the pilot of an RF-101 Voodoo (tail number 56-0186, call sign “Wolf 41”) that was one of two aircraft on a photo reconnaissance mission over North Vietnam. His aircraft was shot down during the mission, but Col Mellor survived and made initial radio and beeper contact with friendly rescue aircraft. However, helicopter crews sent to rescue him could not locate him, and Col Mellor was killed by enemy militia members a short time later. He was initially buried near Pu Khou Stream and Nang Stream in Vietnam, and his remains were recovered in 1992, but could not be individually identified at that time. Subsequent investigations into his case recovered historical documents and personal effects related to Col Mellor, and this evidence, coupled with a laboratory examination, were able to successfully identify his remains.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Harkness, Harry Edward
Army Sergeant

Harry Edward Harkness from Rhode Island, Washington county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: April 30, 1951
Death details: On September 5, 2017, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Sergeant First Class Harry Edward Harkness, missing from the Korean War. Sergeant First Class Harkness entered the U.S. Army from Rhode Island and served with Company L, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. On November 2, 1950, he was taken as a prisoner of war (POW) during combat between the 8th Cavalry Regiment and Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) near Unsan, North Korea. Following his capture, he was eventually interned at POW Camp 5 at Pyoktong, where he died of dysentery and malnutrition on or before April 30, 1951. In 1993, the North Korean government repatriated human remains from the POW Camp 5 site, and U.S. analysts eventually identified SFC Harkness among these remains.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Carey, James Lawrence
Army Private 1st class

James Lawrence Carey, age 19, from Providence County Rhode Island.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, November 30, 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. Corporal James Lawrence Carey, who joined the U.S. Army from Rhode Island, served with the Medical Detachment, Division Artillery, 2nd Infantry Division. He went missing in action on November 30, 1950, near Kunu-ri, North Korea. No one saw him fall, and he was not reported to be a prisoner of war. The area where he went missing remained in enemy hands throughout the war, so it was not possible to search for his body. After the war, his remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody. Corporal Carey 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

Antonio, Vittorio Michele
Army Private 1st class

Vittorio Michele Antonio, age 22, from Kent County Rhode Island.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, November 30, 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. Corporal Vittorio Michele Antonio entered the U.S. Army from Rhode Island and served in F Company, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was wounded by shell fragments during the action on November 30, 1950. He was not seen again after departing his post to get treatment at an aid station and his name did not appear on hospital records. There was also no evidence suggesting he was taken as a prisoner of war. His remains were not recovered and he was not identified among the remains returned to the U.S. following the armistice. Today, Corporal Antonio 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, Associated Press (1954)

Robidoux, Lawrence Joseph
Army Corporal

Lawrence Joseph Robidoux, age 22, from Rhode Island, Providence county.

Service era: Korea
Military history: 35th Infantry Regiment

Date of death: Monday, November 27, 1950
Death details: Accounted for in January 2023. On November 27, 1950, B Company of the U.S. Army’s 35th Infantry Regiment, an element of Task Force Dolvin/Wilson, was holding a hastily erected defensive position near the village of Tong-dong, North Korea, when Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) attacked the company’s perimeter from two sides. After heavy fighting, the Chinese successfully infiltrated the American positions, forcing a withdrawal under heavy mortar and artillery fire. The U.S. troops pulled back to another position a mile farther south. Sergeant Lawrence Joseph Robidoux entered the U.S. Army from Rhode Island and served with B Company, 1st Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. On November 27, SGT Robidoux was captured south of Unsan, during this withdrawal from Tong-dong. As a prisoner of war (POW), he was eventually marched to POW Camp 5, Pyoktong, on the Yalu River, where he died of starvation on May 31, 1951. His remains were not identified among those returned to the U.S. following the ceasefire, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Sergeant Robidoux is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, 35th Infantry Regiment Association, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Gorski, Alexander Alfred
Navy Reserves Ensign

Alexander Alfred Gorski, age 29, from Newport County Newport, Rhode Island .

Parents: Mrs. H. Ginotti
Spouse: Frances P. Gorski

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Sunday, January 28, 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. Ensign Alexander Alfred Roy Gorski entered the U.S. Navy from Rhode Island and 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 ENS Gorski died aboard the Enoura Maru during the trip from the Philippines to Formosa; 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. Today, Ensign Gorski is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Solano Napa News Chronicle (1945)

Smith, Joseph Francis
Navy Torpedoman’s mate 3rd class

Joseph Francis Smith, age 25, from Providence County Providence, Rhode Island .

Parents: Elizabeth Smith

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. Second Lieutenant Joseph Francis Smith, who entered the U.S. Army from Illinois, served with the 14th Engineer Regiment (Philippine Scout) 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 2LT Smith 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. Second Lieutenant Smith’s remains could not be identified following the war, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Second Lieutenant Smith is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Pannone, Ralph
Army Staff sergeant

Ralph Pannone from Rhode Island, Providence county.

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Saturday, July 22, 1944
Death details: Killed in action
Cemetery: Zachary Taylor National

Source: National Archives, grave marker

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