Utah Utah

Matthews, Richard Franklin
Army Sergeant 1st class

Richard Franklin Matthews from Utah, Salt Lake county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Wednesday, February 28, 1951
Death details: On July 11, 1950, the U.S. Army’s 21st Infantry Regiment, which had arrived in Korea six days earlier, was placed in defensive positions near the town of Chochiwon, South Korea. The regiment was not at full strength and lacked artillery and anti-tank weapons. That day, they were attacked by North Korean forces and were forced to withdraw to avoid being surrounded, as well as to buy time until they could be reinforced and resupplied. Master Sergeant Richard Franklin Matthews, who joined the U.S. Army from Utah, served with B Company, 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He was captured by enemy forces on July 11 as his unit fought delaying actions between Pyongtaek and Chochiwon. He was forced to march north to the Apex prison camps in North Korea, and he died of malnutrition and pneumonia at the camp near Hanjang-ni on February 28, 1951. Although he was buried near the camp, his remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire. Today, Master Sergeant Matthews is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Marr, Auburn
Army Captain

Auburn Marr, age 31, from Utah, Salt Lake county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Sunday, December 3, 1950
Death details: On the evening of November 27, 1950, Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) launched a massive attack against the U.S. and United Nations (UN) troops stationed in the Chosin Reservoir area in north-east North Korea. The resulting seventeen-day conflict became known as the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. At the time of the initial CCF attack, members of the U.S. Army’s 31st and 32nd Infantry Regiments were defending the area north of Sinhung-ni, on the east side of the reservoir. The defenders were overwhelmed by the numerically superior CCF, and on December 1 were forced to withdraw to friendly lines at Hagaru-ri. Many men were lost or captured during the withdraw, with survivors reaching friendly lines in Hagaru-ri on December 2 and 3. Once at Hagaru-ri, the survivors of the withdrawal manned a section of the perimeter near East Hill, a strong defensive position overlooking the town. On the night of December 3, the Chinese attacked the Hagaru-ri perimeter and overwhelmed the defenders there. Many Americans were killed or went missing during these actions. Captain Auburn Marr, who joined the U.S. Army from Utah, served with I Company, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was killed in action on December 3, near Hagaru-ri when the CCF attacked his unit’s defensive perimeter there. Conditions on the battlefield prevented the immediate retreival of his body, and after the war his remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody. Today, Captain Marr is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Gablehouse, James Samuel
Army Private

James Samuel Gablehouse, age 21, from Utah, Carbon county.

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. Private First Class James Samuel Gablehouse joined the U.S. Army from Utah and was a member of Company E of the 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. On November 1, 1950, members of Company E came under attack near Unsan and were soon forced to withdraw. Private First Class Gablehouse went missing when his unit was attacked by the CCF, though specific details surrounding his loss are unknown. He could not be located following the incident and he has not been identified among any remains returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire. Today, Private First Class Gablehouse is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Spokesman Review (1950)

Pethel, David John
Army Corporal

David John Pethel, age 21, from Utah, Salt Lake county.

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. Sergeant David John Pethel joined the U.S. Army from Utah and was a member of Company L, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. On November 2, 1950, Company L was occupying defensive positions with the 3rd Battalion near Unsan, when it was hit by an enemy attack and forced to withdraw. Master Sergeant Pethel was lost during the withdrawal combat, though specific details are unknown. He was never seen alive in enemy hands, and his remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire. Today, Sergeant Pethel is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Cherry, Ray Lawson
Marines Private 1st class

Ray Lawson Cherry, age 19, from Utah.

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. Private First Class Ray Lawson Cherry, who joined the U.S. Marine Corps from Utah, served with Company L, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division. He participated in the Battle of Tarawa and was killed in action on November 20, 1943. He was buried on Betio Island, but his remains were not located following the end of hostilities. Today, Private First Class Cherry is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. .

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Bambrough, Joseph L.
Army 1st lieutenant

Joseph L. Bambrough, age 22, from Utah, Salt Lake county.

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Saturday, March 13, 1943
Death details: Finding of death; missing in action or buried at sea. Reported missing in Latin-American area.
Cemetery: Tablets of the Missing at East Coast Memorial, New York City

Source: National Archives, American Battle Monuments Commission, Salt Lake Tribune (1943)

Anderson, Willard R.
Army Technician 4

Willard R. Anderson, age 28, from Utah, Salt Lake county.

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Saturday, December 12, 1942
Death details: Killed in action in Africa
Cemetery: North Africa American Cemetery

Source: National Archives, American Battle Monuments Commission, Salt Lake Tribune (1943)

Groesbeck, Mac
Army Sergeant

Mac Groesbeck, age 26, from Utah, Utah county.

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Sunday, November 1, 1942
Death details: Finding of death

Source: National Archives, Salt Lake Tribune (1943)

Trimble, Merlin G.
Army Private

Merlin G. Trimble, age 27, from Utah, Salt Lake county.

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Thursday, July 23, 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 Merlin G. Trimble joined the U.S. Army from Utah and was a member of Battery F of the 60th Coast Artillery Regiment in the Philippines during World War II. He was captured on Corregidor Island following the American surrender and died of malaria on July 23, 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 Trimble is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Luckey, Ronald T.
Army Sergeant

Ronald T. Luckey from Utah, Morgan county.

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Wednesday, July 22, 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. Sergeant Ronald T. Luckey entered the U.S. Army Air Forces from Utah and served with the 20th Pursuit Squadron, 24th Pursuit Group in the Philippines during World War II. He was captured in Bataan following the American surrender on April 9, 1942, and died of malaria and dysentery on July 22, 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, Sergeant Luckey 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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