Promote & Preserve stories of U.S. fallen soldiers/sailors
Scott Arlo Saboe, age 33, from Willow Lake, South Dakota, Clark county.
Service era: Iraq
Military history: Company A, 4Th Bn, 101St Avn Regiment, 101St Aaslt, Fort Campbell, Ky 42223
Date of death: Saturday, November 15, 2003
Death details: Hostile; Mosul, Iraq
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
Robert Gene Fortin, age 22, from Turton, South Dakota, Spink county.
Parents: Victor P. Fortin
Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Doland High (1968)
Date of death: Monday, September 13, 1971
Death details: Killed in Vietnam by hostile gunfire while piloting a helicopter.
Source: National Archives, Associated Press (1971)
Charles Maury Hallstrom from Webster, South Dakota, Day county.
Parents: Charles W. Hallstrom
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Friday, September 25, 1970
Source: National Archives, Associated Press (1970)
Conrad Lee Flying Horse, age 19, from Bullhead, South Dakota, Corson county.
Parents: William Flying Horse
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Monday, August 31, 1970
Cemetery: McIntosh
Source: National Archives, Rapids City Journal (1970)
Charles Jr. Lane, age 29, from South Dakota, Yankton county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Wednesday, August 23, 1967
Death details:
On August 23, 1967, an F-4 Phantom II (tail number 66-0247, call sign “Ford 04”) with two crew members was one of four aircraft on a strike mission against enemy targets in North Vietnam. While en route to the target, the flight was attacked by enemy MiG-21 fighters that fired missiles and hit two of the aircraft, including “Ford 04.” After the two aircraft were shot down, three parachutes were seen and signals from four rescue beepers were detected. One of the crew members aboard “Ford 04” survived the incident and was captured by enemy forces, and returned to U.S. custody following the war. The other crew member was not located following the incident.
First Lieutenant Charles Lane Jr. entered the U.S. Air Force from South Dakota and served in the 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron. He was the pilot of “Ford 04” when it was shot down and was lost along with the aircraft. Further attempts to locate his remains were unsuccessful. Following the incident, the Air Force promoted 1st Lt Lane to the rank of Captain (Capt). Today, Captain Lane is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Cemetery: Memorialized in Black Hills National
Source: National Archives, grave marker, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Stanley George Sprague, age 36, from South Dakota, Pennington county.
Service era: Vietnam
Military history: Purple Heart
Date of death: Monday, September 12, 1966
Death details: On January 11, 1991, the Central Identification Lab-Hawaii (CILHI, now DPAA) identified the remains of Major Stanley George Sprague, missing from the Vietnam War. Major Sprague, who joined the U.S. Air Force from South Dakota, served with the 602nd Tactical Fighter Squadron. On September 12, 1966, he piloted an A-1E Skyraider (serial
number 52-133928) departing from Udorn, Thailand on a reconnaissance mission over North Vietnam. During the mission, the Skyraider was shot down and Major Sprague was killed. Hostile presence in the area inhibited search efforts during the war and his remains were not recovered at the time. In 1990, the Vietnamese government repatriated remains which were later identified as those of Major Sprague. Major Sprague is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. His name is also inscribed along with all his fallen comrades on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC.
Cemetery: Memorialized in Black Hills National
Source: National Archives, grave marker
Ralph Howard Green from Rapid City, South Dakota.
Parents: Charles Green (died in 1947) and Beatrice Green
Spouse: Carol Jean Ellerton (May 31, 1964)
Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Custer High (1961)
Date of death: Friday, December 4, 1964
Death details: Among 12 crewmembers killed when their P-3A Orion crashed in the ocean 12 miles north of Manila, Philippines. Body never recovered.
Cemetery: Memorialized in Black Hills National
Source: Grave marker, Custer Chronicle
Dwain Erven Schwartz, age 21, from Beadle County Wolsey, South Dakota .
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Tuesday, July 14, 1953
Death details: On July 13, 1953, the U.S. Army’s 555th Field Artillery Battalion was positioned to support the Republic of Korea (ROK) 6th Division along a stretch of line known as the Kumsong Salient, when the Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) launched a massive night attack. The 555th Field Artillery continued to fire in support of the ROK forces during the initial stage of the attack, despite coming under heavy enemy artillery fire themselves. However, early on July 14, CCF troops penetrated the ROK lines and were able to attack the 555th’s own positions. Several battery positions were overrun by the numerically superior attackers before a withdrawal order was received. By that point, few men were actually able to withdraw. Some managed to evade enemy forces and work their way back to friendly lines over the following days, but a number of the 555th Field Artillery’s men were captured by the enemy or went missing. The battlefield now lies on the North Korean side of the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea. Corporal Dwain Erven Schwartz, who entered the U.S. Army from South Dakota, served with Battery C, 555th Field Artillery Battalion, 24th Infantry Division, and was among the men lost in this attack. He was reported as missing in action, but eyewitness testimony collected later from a survivor of the battle revealed that he had actually been killed by enemy forces while defending his gun position on July 14. His remains were not recovered at the time, and follow-on search efforts have been impeded by the fact that the loss area now lies in North Korean territory. Today, Corporal Schwartz is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
John Tuin from South Dakota.
Service era: Korea
Military history: 7th Infantry Division; Purple Heart
Date of death: Saturday, October 6, 1951
Cemetery: Memorialized in Black Hills National
Source: Grave marker
Harry Dixen Andersen, age 23, from South Dakota, Turner county.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Thursday, September 6, 1951
Cemetery: Memorialized in Black Hills National
Source: National Archives, grave marker