Promote & Preserve stories of U.S. fallen soldiers/sailors
Nathan Hall Hardy, age 29, from Durham, New Hampshire, Strafford county.
Service era: Iraq
Military history: Naval Special Warfare Development Group
Spouse: Mindy
Children: Parker, 7 months
School: Oyster River High (1997)
Date of death: Monday, February 4, 2008
Death details: Hostile; Balad, Iraq. Died from wounds sustained from small arms fire during combat operations.
Source: Department of Defense
Michael L. Chinburg, age 26, from Durham, New Hampshire, Strafford county.
Service era: Gulf War
Parent: Dale Chinburg
Spouse: Married
Schools: Oyster River High (1982); University of Colorado (1987)
Date of death: Tuesday, January 8, 1991
Death details: Killed when the plane he was piloting alone on a night training mission crashed into the sands of Saudi Arabia.
Source: White House Commission on Remembrance, The Gulf War Chronicles, Department of Defense, Boston Globe (1991)
John Winslow Jr. Lawrence, age 32, from Farmington, New Hampshire, Strafford county.
Service era: Vietnam
Schools: West Point (1961)
Date of death: Thursday, September 16, 1971
Death details: Killed in South Vietnam when his military vehicle was attacked.
Source: National Archives, Associated Press (1971)
Dennis Nick Vatistas, age 21, from Dover, New Hampshire, Strafford county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Tuesday, December 22, 1970
Death details: Non-hostile in South Vietnam
Source: National Archives
Thomas Philip O’Neill, age 27, from Dover, New Hampshire, Strafford county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Saturday, March 14, 1970
Death details: Hostile in South Vietnam
Source: National Archives
Alfred H. Sidney, age 23, from Strafford, New Hampshire, Strafford county.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Friday, May 18, 1951
Death details: Sgt. Alfred H. Sidney, 23, who was killed during the Korean War, was accounted for Aug. 23, 2022. In May 1951, Sidney was a member of H Company, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on May 18, after his unit was attacked near Hangye, South Korea. In 1953, a POW who returned during Operation Little Switch reported Sidney had been a prisoner of war and died in July 1951 at Prisoner of War Camp #1.
Source: National Archives
Bruce Robert Mills, age 18, from Strafford, New Hampshire, Strafford county.
Parents: Ethel Mills
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Thursday, November 2, 1950
Death details: During the last week of October 1950, Republic of Korea (ROK) Army forces under the control of the U.S. Eighth Army were advancing deep in North Korean territory, approaching the Yalu River on the Chinese-Korean border. Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) struck back in a surprise attack, engaging the ROK 1st and 6th Divisions near Unsan, some sixty miles north of Pyongyang. The U.S. 1st Cavalry Division, with the 8th Cavalry Regiment in the lead, was rushed forward to reinforce the ROK units in the Unsan area. On November 1, the regiment’s 1st Battalion took up positions north of Unsan, while the 2nd Battalion moved to guard the Nammyon River valley west of town, and the 3rd Battalion was placed in reserve at the valley’s southern end. Corporal Bruce Robert Mills joined the U.S. Army from New Hampshire and was a member of Company M, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. On November 2, 1950, Company M was serving as a security unit for the 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment near Unsan when it was hit by an enemy attack and forced to withdraw. CPL Mills went missing during this combat, though circumstances surrounding his loss are unknown. He was never reported as a prisoner of war and he was not identified among the remains returned to the U.S. following the war. Today, Corporal Mills is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Boston Globe (1954)
Harry R. Leighton, age 46, from Strafford County New Hampshire.
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. Major Harry R. Leighton, who joined the U.S. Army from New Hampshire, served with the Veterinary Corps in the Philippines. He was captured by enemy forces during the Japanese invasion of the islands, and was interned in the Philippines until December 1944, when he was put aboard the Oryoku Maru for transport to Japan. Records indicate MAJ Leighton 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. Major Leighton’s remains could not be identified following the war, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Major Leighton is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Alphonse Dumais, age 45, from Dover, New Hampshire, Strafford county.
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Saturday, November 20, 1943
Death details: From November 20 through 23, 1943, the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy conducted a large-scale amphibious assault on the Japanese-held atoll of Tarawa as part of Operation Galvanic, the Allied capture of the Gilbert Islands. Located 2,500 miles southwest of Hawaii, Tarawa was a crucial stepping stone in the planned U.S. offensive across the central Pacific toward Japan. The Japanese garrison on Tarawa’s main island of Betio was well-entrenched with hundreds of bunkers and gun positions behind formidable beach obstacles. The first wave of Marines approaching the shore encountered lower-than-expected tides, forcing them to leave their landing craft on the reef and wade the hundreds of yards to the beach under intense enemy fire. The heaviest number of U.S. casualties were suffered during this phase of the landing. Eventually, rising tides allowed U.S. warships to maneuver closer to shore and support the troops with effective naval gunfire. More Marines landed on the second day, launching attacks inland from the beaches and seizing the Japanese airfield on the island. However, the enemy launched vicious counterattacks and two more days of intense fighting were needed to secure Betio. The last enemy strongpoints were taken on the morning of November 23. The fighting on Betio cost the Marines nearly 3,000 casualties but enabled U.S. forces to press further across the Pacific and yielded valuable tactical lessons that reduced U.S. losses in future amphibious landings. Master Gunnery Sergeant Alphonse Dumais, who entered the U.S. Marine Corps from Virginia, served with Company C, 2nd Tank Battalion, 2nd Marine Division. On November 20, 1943, he was killed in action against Japanese forces on Tarawa. He was buried on Betio, but he was not identified among remains recovered from the island after the war. Today, Master Gunnery Sergeant Dumais is memorialized in the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency