Suffolk County New York

LaFrance, Frederick
Marines Sergeant

Frederick LaFrance, age 24, from Bay Shore, New York, Suffolk county.

Parents: Mary LaFrance

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. Sergeant Frederick LaFrance, joined the U.S. Marine Corps from New York, served with Company E, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, Second Marine Division. Sergeant LaFrance was killed in action on Tarawa on November 20, 1943, and was buried in Cemetery #33, Main Marine Cemetery. Post-war searches of burial sites on Tarawa failed to locate his remains, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Sergeant LaFrance is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Kirkman, Howard
Army Private 1st class

Howard Kirkman from New York, Suffolk county.

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Saturday, July 11, 1942
Death details: Following the Allied surrender on the Bataan Peninsula on April 9, 1942, the Japanese began the forcible transfer of American and Filipino prisoners of war to various prison camps in central Luzon, at the northern end of the Philippines. The largest of these camps was the notorious Cabanatuan Prison Camp. At its peak, Cabanatuan held approximately 8,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war that were captured during and after the Fall of Bataan. Camp overcrowding worsened with the arrival of Allied prisoners who had surrendered from Corregidor on May 6, 1942. Conditions at the camp were poor, with food and water extremely limited, leading to widespread malnutrition and outbreaks of malaria and dysentery. By the time the camp was liberated in early 1945, approximately 2,800 Americans had died at Cabanatuan. Prisoners were forced to bury the dead in makeshift communal graves, often completed without records or markers. As a result, identifying and recovering remains interred at Cabanatuan was difficult in the years after the war. Private First Class Howard Kirkman entered the U.S. Army from New York and served with the 680th Ordnance Company in the Philippines during World War II. He was captured on Corregidor Island following the American surrender and died of malaria and dysentery on July 11, 1942, at the Cabanatuan Prison Camp in Nueva Ecija Province. He was buried in a communal grave in the camp cemetery along with other deceased American POWs; however, his remains could not be associated with any remains recovered from Cabanatuan after the war. Today, Private First Class Kirkman is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Valek, Antone George Jr.
Navy Aviation machinist’s mate 1st class

Antone George Jr. Valek, age 27, from Jamesport, New York, Suffolk county.

Parents: Antone George Valek Sr.

Service era: World War II
Military history: Following the Allied surrender on the Bataan Peninsula on April 9, 1942, the Japanese began the forcible transfer of American and Filipino prisoners of war to various prison camps in central Luzon, at the northern end of the Philippines. The largest of these camps was the notorious Cabanatuan Prison Camp. At its peak, Cabanatuan held approximately 8,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war that were captured during and after the Fall of Bataan. Camp overcrowding worsened with the arrival of Allied prisoners who had surrendered from Corregidor on May 6, 1942. Conditions at the camp were poor, with food and water extremely limited, leading to widespread malnutrition and outbreaks of malaria and dysentery. By the time the camp was liberated in early 1945, approximately 2,800 Americans had died at Cabanatuan. Prisoners were forced to bury the dead in makeshift communal graves, often completed without records or markers. As a result, identifying and recovering remains interred at Cabanatuan was difficult in the years after the war. Aviation Machinist’s Mate First Class Antone George Valek Jr. joined the U.S. Navy from New York and served with Navy Patrol Squadron 101 in the Philippines during World War II. He was captured in Bataan following the American surrender and died of diphtheria on July 21, 1942, at the Cabanatuan Prison Camp in Nueva Ecija Province. He was buried in a communal grave in the camp cemetery along with other deceased American POWs; however, his remains could not be associated with any remains recovered from Cabanatuan after the war. Today, Aviation Machinist’s Mate First Class Valek is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.

Date of death: Sunday, June 21, 1942
Death details: Died while prisoner of war

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Jayne, Kenneth Lyle
Navy Fireman 3rd class

Kenneth Lyle Jayne, age 26, from Suffolk County Patchogue, New York .

Parents: Edward F. Jayne

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Sunday, December 7, 1941
Death details: Killed at Pearl Harbor. Accounted for in 2021

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Zuschlag, Walter J.
Army Staff sergeant

Walter J. Zuschlag, age 23, from Suffolk County Farmingdale, New York .

Parents: Charles Zuschlag

Service era: World War II
Military history: 23 Materials Squadron 17 Air Base Group

Date of death: Sunday, December 7, 1941
Death details: Killed at Pearl Harbor

Source: National Archives, American Battle Monuments Commission, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Charlotte Observer (1943), Farmingdale Post (1942)

Nadel, Alexander Joseph
Navy Seaman 2nd class

Alexander Joseph Nadel, age 20, from Suffolk County Long Island, New York .

Parents: Amelia Nadel

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Sunday, December 7, 1941
Death details: Killed aboard the USS Arizona. Remains not recovered.

Source: Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Evening Star (1942)

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