Yamhill County Oregon

Johnson, Edward Harvey
Air Force Colonel

Edward Harvey Johnson, age 40, from Newberg, Oregon, Yamhill county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Thursday, December 21, 1972
Death details: On May 23, 1989, the Central Identification Laboratory-Hawaii (CILHI, now DPAA) identified the remains of Colonel Edward Harvey Johnson, missing from the Vietnam War.

Colonel Johnson entered the U.S. Air Force from Oregon and was a member of the 325th Bombardment Squadron. On December 21, 1972, he was the radar navigator aboard a B-52G Stratofortress (tail number 58-0198, call sign “Olive 01”) that took off from Guam on a bombing mission over North Vietnam. During the flight, “Olive 01” was hit by an enemy surface-to-air missile that caused it to crash and explode near Hanoi in Ha Tay Province, and Col Johnson was killed in the incident. The wreckage landed near Phuc Yen City, but the enemy presence prevented search and recovery efforts and his body was not recovered at the time. In 1988, the Vietnamese government repatriated human remains that U.S. analysts identified as those of Col Johnson.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Altus, Robert Wayne
Air Force Captain

Robert Wayne Altus, 25, from Sheridan, Oregon, Yamhill county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Tuesday, November 23, 1971
Death details: On November 23, 1971, an F-4e Phantom II (tail number 69-7562, call sign “Gunfighter 61”) with a crew of two departed Da Nang Airfield as one of two F-4s on a nighttime escort mission for an AC-119 gunship over Laos. Near the end of the mission, both F-4s were assigned targets on which to expend their ordnance. After the lead F-4 departed the area, “Gunfighter 61” dropped its ordnance and radioed that it was off the target. It then crashed for unknown reasons near the target, producing a large fireball which was seen by the AC-119 crew. No parachutes were observed, and no emergency beeper signals were received. A search and rescue team located the crash site in the Saravan Province of Laos, but could not recover any crew remains.

Captain Robert Wayne Altus, who joined the U.S. Air Force from Oregon, served with the 4th Tactical Fighter Squadron. He was the pilot of the Phantom when it crashed, and his remains were not recovered. Today, Captain Altus is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Wilson, Brian Lyle
Army Corporal

Brian Lyle Wilson, age 19, from Amity, Oregon, Yamhill county.

Parents: Merle E. Wilson

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Wednesday, March 4, 1970
Death details: Killed in action in Vietnam
Cemetery: Restlawn Memory Gardens in Salem

Source: National Archives, Capital Journal (1970)

Oberg, William Arthur
Marines Private 1st class

William Arthur Oberg, age 20, from Yamhill County Lafayette, Oregon .

Parents: Ivan Smith

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Monday, July 5, 1965
Death details: Shot by another Marine during an argument.

Source: National Archives, Statesman Journal (1965)

Sutherland, Frank Calvin
Marines Reserves Private 1st class

Frank Calvin Sutherland, age 18, from Amity., Oregon, Yamhill county.

Parents: Melissia Sutherland

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 Frank Calvin Sutherland joined the U.S. Marine Corps from California and was a member of Company K, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, which took part in the Battle of Tarawa. On November 20, 1943, he was killed in action and buried in Cemetery #33 on Tarawa, but after the war his remains were not located and he is still unaccounted for. Today, Private First Class Sutherland is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Back To Top