Tag: State of Texas

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Aguilar, Richard
Army Private 1st class

Richard Aguilar, age 18, from Harris County Houston, Texas .

Parents: Mrs. Nieves Gonzalez

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 Richard Aguilar, who joined the U.S. Army from Texas, served with Battery A, 38th Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured by enemy forces on November 30, 1950, as his unit fought through a key pass on the road to Sunchon that was occupied by Chinese Communist Forces. He was marched to a holding camp in the Pukchin Tarigol Valley, where he died of malnutrition and dysentery in January 1951. His remains have not been identified among those returned to U.S. custody. Today, Corporal Aguilar 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 (1953)

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Barker, William Travis
Army Corporal

William Travis Barker from Rockwall County Texas.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Unknown
Death details: On April 25, 2012, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC, now DPAA) identified the remains of Sergeant William Travis Barker, missing from the Korean War. Sergeant William Travis Barker entered the U.S. Army from Texas and served in the Medical Department, 503rd Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured by Chinese Communist Forces in late November 1950 during the 2nd Infantry Division’s fighting withdrawal from positions along the Chongchon River in North Korea. SGT Barker was taken to POW Camp 5 at Pyoktong, North Korea, where he died in February 1951. Through the 1990s, the North Korean government turned over to U.S. custody boxes that contained the remains of U.S. service members, including some recovered from POW Camp 5. Analysts were eventually able to identify SGT Barker from among these remains. Sergeant Barker 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, Fort Worth Star Telegram (1951)

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Bowen, Edward Marion
Army Corporal

Edward Marion Bowen from Pecos County Crane, Texas .

Spouse: Dorothy O. Bowen

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 Edward Marion Bowen, who joined the U.S. Army from Texas, served with the Headquarters Battery, 82nd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured by enemy forces on December 1, 1950, as his unit was providing direct supporting fire for the 2nd Infantry Division’s withdrawal. He was marched with other prisoners to a temporary prison camp in the Pukchin-Tarigol Valley, where he died of malnutrition and exposure on an unspecified date in late December 1950. His remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the war. Today, Sergeant Bowen 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

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Cantu, Jesus Roberto
Army Sergeant 1st class

Jesus Roberto Cantu from Hidalgo County Weslaco, Texas .

Parents: Robert C. Cantu

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 Jesus Roberto Cantu, who joined the U.S. Army from Texas, was a member of B Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured by the CCF during the withdrawal from the Kunu-ri area on November 30. He died of unknown causes in January of 1951 while held at the Mining Camp in North Korea. His remains have not been recovered, and he was not identified among the remains returned to U.S. custody after the war. Today, Master Sergeant Cantu 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, Fort Worth Star Telegram (1954)

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Davis, Weldon Alonzo
Army Private

Weldon Alonzo Davis from Gray County Texas.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Unknown
Death details: On November 13, 2012, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC, now DPAA) identified the remains of Private First Class Weldon Alonzo Davis, missing from the Korean War. Private First Class Davis joined the U.S. Army from Texas and was a member of Battery B, 38th Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. In late November 1950, the 2nd Infantry Division was positioned near the Ch’ongch’on River in North Korea, when they came under attack from Chinese Communist Forces (CCF). They were engaged in a fighting withdrawal when PFC Davis was captured by enemy forces near Somindong, North Korea. He was taken to a prisoner of war camp in the Pukchin-Tarigol Valley, where he died of malnutrition and pneumonia on an unknown date. PFC Davis was not identified among remains returned to U.S. custody immediately after the ceasefire. In 2005, a joint U.S./North Korean investigative team recovered remains from a burial site in Unsan County, North Korea, and PFC Davis was eventually identified from among these remains. Private First Class Davis 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

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Fritts, Jack B.
Captain

Jack B. Fritts from Bexar County Texas.

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 Jack B. Fritts entered the U.S. Army from Texas and served in the 81st Field Artillery Regiment, 81st Infantry Division (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 Fritts 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 Fritts’s remains were not identified following the incident, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Captain Fritts 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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Puckett, Vernon Fate
Navy Chief machinist’s mate

Vernon Fate Puckett from Texas.

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. Chief Machinist’s Mate Vernon Fate Puckett, 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 CMMP Puckett 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. : Chief Machinist’s Mate Puckett’s remains could not be identified following the war, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Chief Machinist’s Mate Puckett is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.

Source: Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency