Promote & Preserve stories of U.S. fallen soldiers/sailors
Manuel J. Vasquez, age 22, from West Sacramento, California, Yolo county.
Service era: Afghanistan
Military history: 2nd Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 172nd Infantry Brigade, Grafenwoehr, Germany.
Date of death: Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Death details: Died in Paktika Province, Afghanistan.
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
Che J. Barnes, age 35, from Capay, California, Yolo county.
Parents: Martin Barnes and Kathleen Barnes
Spouse: None
Schools: Esparto High (1992)
Military history: Flight safety officer, C-130 Aircraft Commander. Stationed at Coast Guard Air Station, Sacramento, California.
Date of death: Thursday, October 29, 2009
Death details: Among seven Coast Guard members and two Marines who died in the collission of two aircrafts off the coast of San Diego. Body not recovered.
Cemetery: Presido National, San Francisco
Source: Coast Guard, San Diego Union Tribune
Justin A. Casillas, age 19, from Dunnigan, California, Yolo county. Their last known residence was in Dunnigan.
Service era: Afghanistan
Military history: 3rd Battalion, 509th parachute infantry regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska.
Date of death: Saturday, July 4, 2009
Death details: Died at Combat Outpost Zerok, Afghanistant, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked the outpost using small arms and indirect fires.
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
Tung Manh Nguyen, age 38, from Davis, California, Yolo county.
Service era: Iraq
Military history: Company B, 2D Battalion, 3D Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg, Nc
Date of death: Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Death details: Hostile; 28Th Csh, Baghdad, Iraq
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
Neil Christopher Roberts, age 32, from Woodland, California, Yolo county.
Service era: Afghanistan
Military history: Comnavspecwardevgru Dam Neck Va
Date of death: Tuesday, March 5, 2002
Death details: Hostile; , Afghanistan
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
William Charles Shinn, age 21, from Woodland Hills, California, Yolo county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Wednesday, January 28, 1970
Death details: On January 28, 1970, an HH-53B Super Jolly Green Giant (tail number 14434, call sign Jolly Green 71) with a crew of six took off on a search and rescue mission in Laos. While in a holding pattern over the rescue area, the helicopter was struck by enemy fire, causing it to crash. Search and rescue efforts could not be conducted due to a strong enemy presence in the area. The remains of the helicopter’s pilot were returned to U.S. custody after the war; however, the rest of the crew is still unaccounted for. Sergeant William Charles Shinn, who joined the U.S. Air Force from California, was a member of the 40th Air Rescue and Recovery Squadron. He was flight engineer aboard the HH-53B when it went down, and was lost with the aircraft. Attempts to recover or identify his remains following the incident have been unsuccessful. Subsequent to the incident, and while carried in the status of missing in action (MIA), the U.S. Air Force promoted Sergeant Shinn to the rank of Staff Sergeant (SSgt). Today, Staff Sergeant Shinn is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Billy Eugene Moore, age 28, from Davis, California, Yolo county.
Spouse: Anna Marie
Children: Patricia, 15; Johnnie, 12; Ronnie, 11
Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Davis High (1959)
Date of death: Wednesday, January 21, 1970
Death details: Injuried in non-hostile action in Vietnam on January 18, 1970 and died in a Long Binh hospital.
Cemetery: Davis
Source: National Archives, Sacramento Bee (1970)
Louie Mercado, age 20, from California, Yolo county.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Wednesday, July 8, 1953
Death details: On July 6, 1953, a large Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) unit attacked and overran the U.S. Army outposts on Pork Chop Hill in an attempt to seize whatever territory possible before the impending armistice agreement. After fighting for the position for four days, on July 10, the 7th Infantry Division Commander determined that the CCF disregard for casualties and desire to hold the outpost outweighed the position’s tactical value, and ordered a withdrawal that was eventually completed on July 11. The U.S. never again controlled Pork Chop Hill, preventing thorough recovery efforts for those who were killed or went missing during the fighting. Private First Class Louie Mercado, who joined the U.S. Army from California, served with Company E, 2nd Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He went missing on July 8 when his unit’s outpost was attacked and overrun by Chinese troops. He was not seen to fall in battle, and due to the conditions on the battlefield, a search could not be conducted for him. He was not reported to be a prisoner of war, and his remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire. Today, Private First Class Mercado is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
William Harris Hickman, age 35, from Yolo County Woodland, California .
Parents: William H. Hickman Sr.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Thursday, November 30, 1950
Death details: By mid-November 1950, U.S. and Allied forces had advanced to within approximately sixty miles of the Yalu River, the border between North Korea and China. On November 25, approximately 300,000 Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) “volunteers” suddenly and fiercely counterattacked after crossing the Yalu. The 2nd Infantry Division, located the farthest north of units at the Chongchon River, could not halt the CCF advance and was ordered to withdraw to defensive positions at Sunchon in the South Pyongan province of North Korea. As the division pulled back from Kunu-ri toward Sunchon, it conducted an intense rearguard action while fighting to break through well-defended roadblocks set up by CCF infiltrators. The withdrawal was not complete until December 1, and the 2nd Infantry Division suffered extremely heavy casualties in the process. Captain William Harris Hickman, who joined the U.S. Army from the District of Columbia, served with Battery A, 503rd Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was killed in action on November 30, 1950, as his unit made a fighting withdrawal to Sunchon, North Korea. Although several soldiers from his unit witnessed his death, his body could not be immediately recovered due to the confusion on the battlefield and later searches could not be conducted because the area was under enemy control. His remains have not been identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the war. Today, Captain Hickman 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, Sacramento Bee (1951)