James Lawrence Arnold, age 21, from Mattawan, Michigan, Van Buren county.
Service era: Iraq
Parents: Mary Ryan and Philip Arnold
School: Mattawan High (2004)
Military history: Troop B, 1St Squadron, 8Th Cavalry, 2 Bct, Fort Hood, Texas
Date of death: Thursday, March 15, 2007
Death details: Hostile; Baghdad, Iraq. Killed in an explosion
Cemetery: Fort Custer National
Source: Department of Defense, Mlive.com, Langland Funeral Homes
Luis Jose Castillo, age 20, from Lawton, Michigan, Van Buren county.
Service era: Iraq
Military history: C Co, 1St Bn, 24Th Mar, (Rct-5, I Mef Fwd), 4Th Mar Div, Lansing, Mi
Date of death: Saturday, January 20, 2007
Death details: Hostile; Balad, Iraq
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
Gabriel Glenn Deroo, age 25, from Paw Paw, Michigan, Van Buren county.
Service era: Iraq
Military history: Company A, 2D Battalion, 3D Infantry, (101 Aa), Fort Lewis, Washington
Date of death: Sunday, August 20, 2006
Death details: Hostile; Mosul, Iraq
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
Vincent Earl Summers, age 38, from South Haven, Michigan, Van Buren county.
Service era: Iraq
Military history: Company A, 2D Battalion, 69Th Armor, (2 Mef), Fort Benning, Ga
Date of death: Saturday, October 15, 2005
Death details: Hostile; Ar Ramadi, Iraq
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
Ronald Kenneth Sweetland, age 20, from Van Buren County Bloomingdale, Michigan .
Parents: Mr. and Mrs. Robert Gilbert
Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Bloomingdale High (1969)
Date of death: Sunday, November 28, 1971
Death details: Killed in a helicopter crash in South Vietnam.
Cemetery: Spring Grove in Bloomingdale
Source: National Archives, UPI (1971), Herald Palladium (1971)
Jerald Dale West, age 23, from Bloomingdale, Michigan, Van Buren county.
Parents: Jerald W. West
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Saturday, January 31, 1970
Death details: Hostile, killed, South Vietnam
Source: National Archives, El Paso Herald Post (1970)
Charles D. McClurg, age 18, from Bangor, Michigan, Van Buren county.
Parents: Opal McClurg and Charles McClurg
Service era: Vietnam
Military history: 35th Infantry Regiment
Date of death: Friday, January 12, 1968
Death details: Killed by friendly fire, Quang Ngai Province
Cemetery: Monk Cemetery, Bangor
Source: National Archives, 35th Infantry Regiment Association
Donald Jr. McGowan from Michigan, Van Buren county.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Friday, May 25, 1951
Death details: On May 25, 1951, elements of the 187th Regimental Combat Team (RCT) were assigned to secure a bridgehead on the Soyang River in South Korea. The RCT, bolstered by two companies of tanks, launched a counter-attack against Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) that had taken control of the river’s northern shore. Despite fierce enemy resistance, the 187th RCT successfully dislodged the CCF, and then began a cautious push northward in an attempt to locate and destroy other enemy forces. The 187th RCT was still engaged with CCF troops by the end of the day, and suffered several casualties over the course of the fighting.
Corporal Donald McGowan Jr. joined the U.S. Army from Michigan and was a member of the Service Company, 187th Regimental Combat Team. He took part in the fighting on May 25 and was captured by the enemy at some point during that day. He joined a group of prisoners who were marched north into North Korean territory. Corporal McGowan died of malnutrition and illness in June 1951, after his group arrived at the Suan Mining Camp. His remains have not been recovered, and he was not identified among remains returned to U.S. custody after the war. Today, Corporal McGowan is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Robert Lawrence Besemer, age 31, from Van Buren County Michigan.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Tuesday, July 25, 1950
Death details: By July 1950, the North Korean People’s Army (NKPA) had taken control of Taejon, and the U.S. Eighth Army’s 25th Infantry Division and 1st Cavalry Division were sent into action. The 1st Cavalry Division deployed at Pohang between July 18-21 and immediately advanced west on the Taegu-Taejon road to establish blocking positions at Yongdong and defend the city. The ensuing three-day Battle of Yongdong was intense, and the 1st Cavalry Division was ultimately forced to withdraw on July 25 after the 5th Cavalry Regiment alone had lost 275 men. The battle inflicted heavy casualties on the NKPA and delayed its advance enough to allow United Nations (UN) forces to establish the Pusan Perimeter, but the NKPA still managed to capture many American prisoners of war (POWs). Prisoners were marched north to Seoul before being transferred to camps in Pyongyang. Many POWs were eventually rescued, though many others died from exhaustion and mistreatment. Poor record keeping by the NKPA and strained diplomatic tensions following the war have complicated the identification and recovery of those who went missing during the Battle of Yongdong, and many are still unaccounted for. Sergeant Robert Lawrence Besemer, who entered the U.S. Army from Michigan, served in F Company of the 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. On July 24, 1950, F Company was sent to rescue members of units that had been cut off from American positions in Yongdong. While advancing up a hill during this mission, F Company was met with intense enemy fire, and the confused fighting separated several small parties from the rest of the company. Sergeant Besemer was in one of these small groups, and evidence discovered following the war revealed he was taken as a prisoner and marched north to Seoul and then on to camps in Pyongyang. He was reported missing on July 25, 1950; however, he is believed to have died somewhere near Pyongyang in late October 1950, but his remains have not been located. Today, Sergeant Besemer 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, Grand Haven Tribune (1955)
William Franklin Gillette from Lawrence, Michigan, Van Buren county.
Parents: Electa Gillette
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Monday, December 18, 1944
Death details: He was aboard the destroyer USS Hull as it operated as part of the Fast Carrier Strike Force in the Philippine Sea. On December 17, 1944, the Hull was participating in refueling operations when the ships of its fueling group were engulfed by Typhoon Cobra. The Hull lost its ability to steer amid the enormous waves and began taking on water. The Hull eventually took on too much water to stay afloat and rolled and sank shortly before noon, on December 18. Sixty-two crew members were rescued, but a little more than two-hundred crew members were lost in the sinking.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency