Suwanee County Florida

Barrington, Edgar Foy
Air Force Staff sergeant

Edgar Foy Barrington, age 25, from Live Oak, Florida, Suwanee county.

Parents: John E. Barrington

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Tuesday, June 10, 1952
Death details: On the evening of June 10, 1952, a B-29 Superfortress (tail number 44-62183A, call sign “Saloon 47”) departed Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan, with thirteen crew members on a night bombing operation targeting railroad bridges near Kwaksan, Korea. This Superfortress was part of a multiple-flight strike force that included twelve B-29s. As “Saloon 47” began its bomb run, it was illuminated by enemy searchlights and attacked by MiG-15 fighters. “Saloon 47” exploded and then fell to the ground in flames. Aerial searches failed to locate the aircraft or its crew, and circumstances surrounding their loss were unknown at the time. However, on August 30, 1953, during Operation Big Switch, one crew member from this loss was repatriated. He reported that the sudden explosion blew aboard the hit aircraft blew him outside midair and he lost consciousness but during his freefall, he regained consciousness, opened his parachute and landed in a rice paddy and was captured. Signs of the other twelve crew members were not reported or found following the incident. Staff Sergeant Edgar Foy Barrington entered the U.S. Air Force from Florida and was assigned to the 28th Bombardment Squadron, 19th Bombardment Group. He was the central fire control operator aboard Saloon 47 when it crashed. No returning POWs mentioned contact with SSgt Barrington, nor was he seen at any known holding point, interrogation center, hospital, or permanent POW camp. He remains unaccounted-for. Today, Staff Sergeant Barrington is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Tampa Tribune (1953)

DeLong, Cyrus W.
Army Captain

Cyrus W. DeLong, age 28, from Suwanee County Florida.

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. Captain Cyrus W. DeLong entered the U.S. Army from Florida and served in the 2nd General Hospital in the Philippines. 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 DeLong survived the Oryoku sinking and was put aboard the Enoura Maru, where he died following the attack in Takao Harbor. However, these reports often involve information solely furnished by enemy governments, with some casualties given multiple dates of death, and future research may determine that these reports were inaccurate. CPT DeLong’s remains could not be identified following the war, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Captain DeLong 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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