Bill’s blog archive: Daily Posts

These summaries are posted to honor these selfless men from Michigan who served and lost their lives. This list includes Medal of Honor recipient 1st Lt. George H. Cannon ~ Bill

Abel, Andrew W., TEC5, Camp McCoy, died of “poisoning acute, carbon tetra chloride, adema, pulmonary”, 12/21/44 at Station Hospital, Fort Sheridan, IL. TEC5 Abel was on temporary duty assisting the Postal Department as a truck driver. While at Antlers Hotel in Milwaukee fell asleep in bed; a fire occurred, and Abel suffered poisoning due to the fire extinguisher spray used to put out the fire. He had previously served in South Pacific (Hudsonville, MI)

Adcock, John F., CPL, HQ Detachment, USAAF, died 9/25/45 at 120^th General Hospital, Manila, Luzon, Philippines, after “plunge from 3^rd floor window, while mentally unstable”, 201 and 293 file (Detroit, MI)

Arocha, Ernest D., PVT, 9^th Infantry Regiment, 2^nd Infantry Division, KIA 7/29/44 at La Fourchet, France, considerable confusion over date of death (Merrill, MI)

Atkins, Floyd, CPL, 225^th Army Air Force Base Unit, drowned 7/30/44 in Canyon Lake, South Dakota, near Rapid City AAB (Barbeau, MI)

Beals, Halsey W., PVT, 737^th Tank Battalion, DOW at Aid Station (59^th Field Hospital, Andilly, France) after being wounded due to “the explosion of a shell in the tank in which he was riding as a crew member”, very unusual to see letter of this type for a non-flyer (Muskegon, MI)

Berner, Gerald R., 2^nd LT, 32^nd Bomb Squadron, 301^st Bomb Group, downed 2/25/44 over Metnitz, Austria, letter from father “…almost two years have elapsed since the end of the war, and we have not yet received any information concerning the location of my son’s grave (Detroit, MI)

Blaida, John M., SSGT, 576^th Bomb Squadron, 392^nd Bomb Group, downed 5/29/44 over Gueltz, Germany, in what was later the Soviet occupied zone, extensive interview with German witnesses of crash and burial, some in original German on German forms, extensive records in regard to identifying remains (Monroe, MI)

Boughley, Donley G., PFC, 13^th Armored Regiment, 87^th Reconnaissance Squadron, DNB 4/21/44 of cerebral edema resulting from acute alcoholic intoxication, at Ft. Benning, GA (Traverse City, MI)

Briske, Frederick W., SGT, 412^th Bomb Squadron, 95^th Bomb Group, killed in bomb loading accident on 5/27/43 at AAF Station 102 (Framlingham, England), listing all other deaths from the accident, death certificate for his father (Onekama, MI)

Medal of Honor Recipient George H. Cannon

Cannon, George H., 1st LT, 6th Defense Battalion, Fleet Marine Force, KIA 12/7/41 on Midway Island “…while manning C.P. position 2nd deck power house was struck by shell fragments….”, Medal of Honor winner, recreation center in Detroit named in his honor, first alumnus of University of Michigan to die in War (Ann Arbor, MI)

Eyestone, Oliver, NMI, 2^nd LT, 739^th Bomb Squadron, 454^th Bomb Group, ditched 8/24/44 in Adriatic Sea on return from raid against the Kolin Oil Refinery in Czechoslovakia, 2 of crew survived ditching and were picked up by a PBY (Muskegon, MI)

Furtwangler, Robert N., SSGT, 370^th Bomb Squadron, 307^th Bomb Group, MIA 6/30/43 on X-Ray search mission in area of Guadalcanal (Parma, MI)

Giannone, Anthony J., TEC5, 23^rd Signal Corps, Heavy Construction Battalion died 11/29/45 of leukemia at Percy Jones General Hospital, Battle Creek, MI (Detroit, MI)

Gordon, Kenneth, SSGT, 32^nd Infantry Regiment, 7^th Infantry Division, KIA 5/29/43 on Attu Island, unknown cause, friend of K. KRETSINGER, below (Detroit, MI)

Heffner, Maurice, NMI, TEC5, Medical Detachment, 17^th Infantry Regiment, 7^th Infantry Division, KIA 5/29/43 on island of Attu, buried at Little Falls #1 Cemetery prior to being repatriated, identified by fingerprints (Jackson, MI)

Helmer, Frederick J., CPL, 11^th Tank Battalion, 10^th Armored Division, KIA 4/26/45 at Eichen, Germany, AR600-550 ‘Inventory of Effects’ form used (Detroit, MI)

Hootman, Herald M., MAJ, 127^th Infantry Regiment, 32^nd Infantry Division, KIA 1/3/43 GSW at Buna, New Guinea, extensive correspondence in file regarding effects (Grand Rapids, MI)

Hootman, Herald M., MAJ, 127^th Infantry Regiment, 32^nd Infantry Division, KIA 1/3/43 GSW at Buna, New Guinea, extensive correspondence in file regarding effects (Grand Rapids, MI)

Hughes, Jack E., 2^nd LT, 94^th Fighter Squadron, 1^st Fighter Group, MIA 7/16/44 on bomber escort mission to Vienna, aircraft seen to blow up and crashed near Monsonszolnok, Hungary, detailed, translated Hungarian records of crash and burial, MACR data, MIA till 1947 (Detroit, MI)

Hyslop, Archie L., SGT, 744^th Bomb Squadron, 456^th Bomb Group, downed 7/2/44 over Kapolasnyek, Hungary, excellent details regarding search for remains, translated records, details of mission but no MACR, same crew as F/O ERNIE PHILLIPS (below), two photos of Hyslop in file, sent by mother to show his teeth for identification purposes (Detroit, MI)

Jatros, George, NMI, 1^st LT, 508^th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 84^th Airborne Division, KIA near Nijmegen, Holland, (Operation Market Garden), 9/24/44, buried in Margraten (Detroit, MI)

Kader, Eugene I., SSGT, 844^th Bomb Squadron, 489^th Bomb Group, downed 10/19/44 when another aircraft, out of control, fell on his ship, shearing off tail and causing it to go into a flat spin, over Edenkoben, Germany, while on a mission to Mainz, Germany, letter from mother “…it puzzles me that I have not heard a thing concerning my son’s burial….” (Detroit, MI)

Lucas, Joseph, PFC, 882^nd Field Artillery Battalion, DNB 5/26/45, GSW, vicinity of Hannau, Germany, investigation into death performed, accidentally shot by another soldier while on guard duty at food warehouse during riot by German civilians; extensive information on this in VA file (Detroit, MI)

Martin, Wayne Love, SSGT, 494^th Bomb Squadron (M), 344^th Bomb Group (M), KIA 9/23/44 on mission to Venlo, Holland, crashed at Rumein, Germany, dog tag mutilated (note: this was the means used to identify him), letter from mother dated 3/18/47, good Correspondence Action Work Sheet, body badly mangled (Detroit, MI)

Martin, Wayne Love, SSGT, 494^th Bomb Squadron (M), 344^th Bomb Group (M), KIA 9/23/44 on mission to Venlo, Holland, crashed at Rumein, Germany, dog tag mutilated (note: this was the means used to identify him), letter from mother dated 3/18/47, good Correspondence Action Work Sheet, body badly mangled (Detroit, MI)

Meyers, Morris, NMI, SSGT, 550^th Bomb Squadron, 385^th Bomb Group, MIA 6/21/43 deploying to Europe between Gander Bay, Newfoundland, and Prestwick, Scotland, entire crew non-recoverable, letter from family asking why some personal effects were home if no trace of crew ever located (Detroit, MI)

Munroe, Stewart W., Jr., 2^nd LT, 565^th Bomb Squadron, 389^th Bomb Group, downed 10/1/43 on mission to Weiner-Neustadt, extensive documentation on crash and on other crashes in the area that date, note in file regarding search for remains “Case in Russian zone; no publicity, impossible to get detailed information under such circumstances” (Grosse Point Park, MI)

Nash, Travis E., 506^th Bomb Squadron, 44^th Bomb Group, downed 4/5/45 over Wipperfurth, Germany, “hit by shrapnel and was dead prior to bailing out”, another account stated “…heard from a Russian POW that he was shot by a German soldier after he landed on the ground…” (Detroit, MI)

Ogg, Forrest M., SGT, 23^rd Marine Regiment, 4^th Marine Division, KIA  6/19/44 on Saipan, Bronze Star Medal citation, (Birmingham, MI)

Parker, William W., 2^nd LT, 779^th Bomb Squadron, 464^th Bomb Group, KIA 10/17/44 in landing accident after mission at Panatella, Italy, entire crew killed, extensive and well-inventoried personal effects (Flint, MI)

Pertolla, Hugo O., SSGT, 744^th Bomb Squadron, 456^th Bomb Group, shot down 7/2/44 near Kapolnasnyek, Hungary, excellent details regarding search for remains, translated records, details of mission by no MACR, same crew as NYEN, above, and PHILLIPS, below, alludes to PHILLIPS falling to his death from aircraft (Detroit, MI)

Poremba, John J., Fireman 1c, aboard USS Halligan, MIA 3/26/45 when ship hit by kamikaze 6 miles west of Okinawa (Ecorse, MI)

Ramp, Francis P., PVT, 362^nd Infantry Regiment, 91^st Infantry Division, DOW 10/17/44 at 8^th Evac Hospital, near La Mazzetta, Italy, marriage certificate of ex-wife, mother concerned that others killed in Italy were being returned before her son was (Detroit, MI)

Riegel, George E., 2^nd LT, 322^nd Bomb Squadron, 91^st Bomb Group, downed 10 miles south of Aachen, Germany, on Schweinfurt Raid, 8/17/43, letter from brother-in-law thanking QMC for their good work, also thank-you letter regarding military escort who accompanied remains home (Lansing, MI)

Ross, Kenneth S., PFC, 413^th Infantry Regiment, 104^th Infantry Division, killed 4/21/45, MW wounds to body, at Gollmenz, Germany due to ‘friendly fire’ in tank exercise (Dearborn, MI)

Scriber, George I., PVT, 11^th Tank Battalion, 3^rd Armored Division, KIA 4/16/45 at Pfedelbach, Germany, SFW head, inventory of effects on avery neatly prepared form, letter from mother requesting that the NOK be changed from wife to her (Clearwater, MI)

Serapiglia, Anthony, 1^st LT, 366^th Fighter Squadron, 358^th Fighter Group, killed 4/12/44 in aircraft accident in Northumberland, England (Detroit, MI)

Slomczenski, Chester M., TSGT, 535^th Bomb Squadron, 381^st Bomb Group, 3/30/45 downed over Gross Haesuslingon, Germany, aboard “In Like Errol”, remains found six months later in River Aller and buried in British Military Cemetery (Detroit, MI)

Smith, George A., PVT, 161st Infantry Regiment, 41st Infantry Division, KIA 4/26/45 at Kapintalan, Luzon, Philippines (Midland, MI)

Steinsultz, Harry L., 1^st LT, 767^th Tank Battalion, DOW (EA Mortar-Burned) 11/7/44 at 27^th General Hospital, Hollandia, Dutch New Guinea (Detroit, MI)

Vasos, Nick G., SGT, 30^th Infantry Regiment, 3^rd Infantry Division, KIA 11/8/42 at Fedala, Morocco, attempt to identify ownership of watch (Sault Ste. Marie, MI)