Juan Carlos Venegas, age 21, from Ventura, California, Ventura county.
Service era: Iraq
Military history: Hq Co, 3D Bn, 4Th Mar, (Rct-8, 2D Mar Div), 1St Mar Div, Twentynine Palms, Ca
Date of death: Thursday, April 7, 2005
Death details: died as a result of a vehicle accident while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar Province, Iraq.
Source: Department of Defense, U.S. Navy
Patrick G Fitzsimmons, age 21, from Ventura, California, Ventura county.
Parents: Wilbert G. Fitzsimmons
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Monday, August 24, 1970
Death details: Body recovered
Source: National Archives, Associated Press (1970)
John Joseph Hooper, age 21, from Ventura, California, Ventura county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Saturday, August 1, 1970
Death details: Body recovered
Source: National Archives
Larry Beaudette, age 18, from Ventura, California, Ventura county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Tuesday, May 5, 1970
Death details: Body recovered
Cemetery: Santa Barbara, California
Source: National Archives
David Gonzales, age 22, from Ventura, California, Ventura county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Saturday, March 21, 1970
Death details: On March 21, 1970, a UH-1E Iroquois (bureau number 152427) with four crew members participated in a two-helicopter combat mission over Laos. The UH-1 was hit by small arms fire while over Saravane Province, and began leaking fuel. Crew men aboard the other helicopter in the flight then saw the UH-1 catch fire and crash in dense jungle. The UH-1 exploded on impact, and initial aerial reconnaissance indicated there were no survivors. Two weeks later, however, the co-pilot was rescued, and the remains of the pilot were recovered. Although an extensive ground search was conducted, the remains of the crew chief and gunner could not be found.
Sergeant David Gonzales, who joined the U.S. Marine Corps from California, served with Marine Light Helicopter Squadron 167, Marine Air Group 16, 1st Marine Air Wing. He was the crew chief aboard the UH-1 when it crashed, and his remains were not recovered. Today, Sergeant Gonzales is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Beverly Idell Arnold, age 39, from Ventura, California, Monterey county.
Spouse: Panchita G. Arnold
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. Captain Beverly Idell Arnold, who joined the U.S. Army from California, was a member of Company K, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. By midnight on November 1, 1950, CPT Arnold’s unit was forced to withdraw from the Unsan Area. The 3rd Battalion was the last to withdraw, and was subsequently surrounded and cut off from Allied forces. They formed a defensive perimeter and withstood attacks for the next few days before survivors either broke out to avoid capture or surrendered. Following the offensive, Captain Arnold suffered a severe leg wound while attempting to evade capture on November 4 or 5 when he was south of Unsan. He was not seen or heard from again by the other evaders, and attempts to locate him or identify his remains following the war were unsuccessful. Today, Captain Arnold is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, San Bernardino County Sun (1954)
Claude Ralph Garcia, age 25, from Ventura, California, Ventura county.
Parents: Mr. Raphael P. Garcia
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Sunday, December 7, 1941
Death details: On the morning of December 7, 1941, during the attack on Pearl Harbor, the USS West Virginia (BB-48) was moored outboard from the USS Tennessee (BB-43). Five 18-inch aircraft torpedoes and two armor piercing bombs converted from 16-inch naval shells hit the West Virginia in its port side. The first bomb punctured the ship’s deck, causing it to collapse. The second was a dud, though it ignited aircraft fuel and sent billows of toxic smoke into the air. The enemy bombs and torpedoes killed and wounded many of those on board the battleship. While the extensive damage to the hull caused the West Virginia to sink, the crew’s efforts to keep it from capsizing meant the battleship could be salvaged, and it managed to return to service later in the war. Shipfitter Second Class Claude Ralph Garcia, who entered the U.S. Navy from California, was serving aboard the West Virginia at the time of the Pearl Harbor attack. He was lost during the sinking and his remains have not been recovered. Today, Shipfitter Second Class Garcia is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, findagrave.com