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Lest We ForgetLest We ForgetLest We ForgetWednesday, May 22, 2013
By Christina [email protected]
Before Issaquah resident Lou Ortiz boarded the USS Lexington and conducted mis-
sions all around the Pacific, the World War II veteran had to fight a different bat-tle — one with his mother.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the eager 16-year-old was determined to enlist in the U.S. Navy, despite the fact that he was underage.
“I was so upset with it that I just kept saying to my mom, ‘Mom, I want to help. You’ve got to let me join,’” he said.
Ortiz’s mother finally gave in to the unrelenting teen, reluctantly signing papers to allow the then 17-year-old to join the Navy.
“I was patriotic enough to join when I was just a young man and I still feel the same way,” Ortiz said.
Sitting comfortably in his Klahanie home, Ortiz fondly reflected on his time as an aviation gunner and radio-man with the U.S. Navy during World War II.
Taking flightOnce enlisted, Ortiz did
not hesitate for a second when asked what role he wanted to assume.
“I wanted to fly,” the now 88-year-old said in a recent interview as a grin stretched across his face and he pointed toward the sky.
After spending a sig-nificant amount of time mastering naval communi-cation processes, including Morse code, Ortiz was sent to Long Beach, Calif., where he was paired with a pilot. Ortiz’s pilot, Robert Smith, or Smitty as he was called, manned the plane’s flight, while Ortiz, as a gunner, controlled the aircraft’s weapons and communica-
tions.In 1944, Ortiz and his
bomber squadron were assigned to the aircraft car-rier USS Lexington.
By Dan Aznoff
Richard Murphy is at a dif-ficult age.
At 90 years old, he can still remember the pain in his leg from the crash-landing on Sakhalin Island in December 1944. He still remembers his crew sitting down to dinner with their Russian captors while they were being held as prisoners of war.
Murphy is also aware that the early stages of dementia have taken away his ability to remember what type of plane he flew, who operated the POW camp, his rank or how he
escaped. He becomes frustrated when he is unable to recall his wife’s name or how many chil-dren they had together.
The former bomber pilot still wears his pilot hat when he comes down to dinner at the Spiritwood Retirement Commu-
Staff sergeant, U.S. Army Air Force, 375th
Bomber
Squadron, 308th Bomber Group, Heavy; reported MIA
between January and
April 1944; crew of plane was never found. Tablets of the missing are
at Manila American
Cemetery, Manila,
Philippines.
Second lieu-tenant, U.S.
Army Air Force,443rd Bomb
Squadron, 320th Bomb
GroupMIA Oct. 23,
1943, over the Tyrrhenian Sea near Giannuitri
Island. The crew of the downed B-26 was seen in life rafts but Air-Sea Rescue boats could not
locate them, and no one
from the crew was ever seen again. Tablets of the missing are at Florence
American Cemetery in
Florence, Italy.
Staff sergeant, U.S. Army
Air Force, 589th Bomb
Squadron, 387th Bomb
GroupShot down
near Mayan, Germany, where
his crew was attacking a rail-road viaduct, on Dec. 23, 1944.
Private,
U.S. Army Air Force,
481st Service Squadron, 46th
Air Service Group
Born: Nov. 28, 1920
Killed April 18, 1945, in accidental bomb explo-sion. Buried in Hillside Cemetery.
Captain, U.S. Air ForceBorn: July 27,
1939,MIA May 31,
1966, Declared dead: Feb. 11,
1975Missing in air loss/crash in
North Vietnam. (Remains
never recov-ered.)
Second lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Force, 737th Bomb
Squadron, 454th Bomb
GroupShot down in
Croatia on April 21, 1944.
Second lieutenant
U.S. Army Air Force
45th Fighter Squadron,
15th Fighter Group
MIA June 1, 1945, some-
where between Iwo Jima and Osaka, Japan; weather may
have been the reason for
the loss.
Private first class, U.S.
Army,
infantry,Born: Feb. 17,
1926 Died: June 14,
1945184th Infantry
Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. KIA by a grenade attacking Hill 181 in Ryuku,
Okinawa, Japan. Buried in Arlington National
Cemetery.
Private, U.S. Army, 18th
Engineer Regiment
Died: Aug. 10, 1918
Buried in Suresnes American Cemetery,
in Suresnes,
France. From the Sept. 27, 1918, Press: “A large con-
gregation attended the memorial ser-vice Sunday afternoon at Issaquah in
honor of Peter Erickson, the
first of the boys from
Issaquah to die in the service of
his country. The oration delivered by the Rev. S. V. Warren
touched a high note of patrio-
tism.
Woman Airforce Service Pilots
(WASPs)Died in a
training exer-
cise over Sweetwater,
Texas, in May 1944. Buried in Lakeview Cemetery, Seattle.
Because WASPs were considered
civilians, she never received
a military burial. She
was recently awarded a
Congressional Gold Medal by President
Obama.
Corporal, U.S. Army, Scotch
Platoon, C Company,
2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry
Regiment, 1st Cavalry DivisionBorn: March 7,
1949Died: June 18,
1969KIA in Tay Ninh, South
Vietnam. Buried in Greenwood
Memorial Park, Renton.
Sergeant, U.S. Army, 8th Infantry
April 7, 1925 – July 15, 1944
Graduated from Issaquah High
School in 1943.KIA in
Normandy, France. Buried
in Hillside Cemetery.
Private, U.S. Army,701 T.D. Battalion
July 9, 1924 – May 31, 1944
Graduated from Issaquah High
School in 1942. KIA in Anzio, Italy. Buried in Hillside Cemetery.
Corporal,U.S. Army,
C Company, 3rd Battalion, 47th Infantry,
9th Infantry Division
Died at age 21.Born: May 6,
1946 Died: July 29,
1967 He was shot
in early 1967, but recovered;
was back in action only a
few days when he was killed in Dinh Tuong
Province, South Vietnam. Buried
in Hillside Cemetery.
Freedom isn’t free. Since the birth of this country, men and women have been willing to fight and die for Americans to be free to live their lives as they choose.
And the number of those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice is staggering. More than 1.3 million men and women have died in wars fought by or on behalf of this country since 1775.
Men and women have also been willing to sacrifice their personal time, by serv-ing in times when war was not on or imminent. They have done all types of jobs that people in the civilian sector do, but instead did them in service to this coun-try while they stood ready to defend our lives, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
We at The Issaquah Press salute, honor and thank the men and women from our community who have paid all types of sac-rifices to keep themselves, their families and everyone else free. We hope you will do the same.
Remembering the 19 who gave the ultimate sacrifice
Paul Alfred Ambrose
Robert Arndt
Robert Baskett
Jack McQuade
Peter Erickson
George C. Larsen
John Raymond Smart
Information is incomplete and/or conflicting for the 19 local veterans killed while serving in wartime. Photos also could not be located for three of them. If you have information or pho-tos, email [email protected] or call 392-6434, ext. 227.
Clifford Benson
Elizabeth Erickson
Robert Philp
Robert Watson
James Patrick Brady
Laurence J. Lortie
Emmett R. McDonald
Flight officer, U.S. Army Air Force, 422nd Bomb
Squadron, 305th Bomb GroupKilled Aug. 6,
1944, when the B-17 he was
co-piloting was hit by flak and crashed near Vollradisroda,
Germany.Interred in
Germany; later brought home to Greenwood
Memorial Park, Renton.
Joseph Albert Tondreau
Fireman first class, U.S.
Navy/Naval Reserve
MIA or buried at sea Dec. 18,
1944.Tablets of
the missing are at Manila
American Cemetery in Manila,
Philippines.
Louis Petersen
Carl Albert LarsonCorporal, U.S. Army 361st Infantry
Regiment, 91st DivisionDied Oct. 9, 1918
Buried in Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery, in Romagne, France.
(no photo available)
Robert HoskinsLance corporal (mortarman),
U.S. Marine Corps, H&S Company 5, Mar 1 Mar Div
Born: Sept. 14, 1949 Died: Nov. 25, 1968
KIA in Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam). Buried in Hillside
Cemetery. (no photo available)
Harold GleasonPrivate first class, U.S. Army, 301st Infantry Regiment, 94th Division
Born: Feb. 6, 1916 Killed March 2, 1945, while
serving as a medic near Serrig, Germany. Buried in Hillside
Cemetery. (no photo available)
“I was patriotic enough to join when I was just a young man and I still feel the same way.”— Lou Ortiz, World War II veteran
By Christina Corrales-toy
Lou Ortiz proudly displays the medals he earned in the U.S. Navy during World War II in his Klahanie home.
STILL PAYING TRIBUTE
See TRIBUTE, Page C6
World War II vet recalls the days he took to the air as an eager teen
ContriButed
Issaquah resident Lou Ortiz served as an aviation radioman and gunner in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
Bomber pilot shares vivid memories of POW camp, raids over Japan
See PILOT, Page C6
By GreG Farrar
Richard Murphy (left), wearing his bomber jacket and Army Air Corps cap, and his son Kevin share one of their get-togethers with a visit at Spiritwood Retirement Community at Pine Lake.
“Any landing is not a crash if you can walk away.”— Richard MurphyWorld War II veteran
Flintoft’s Funeral Home and Crematory is proud to honor our community’s veterans.
B2 • Wednesday, May 22, 2013 The Issaquah Press
In loving memory of SSgt. Dale and Lt. Alice Lee
Roger Lee BrownHighest rank
achieved: Army PFC and
Navy MR3Branch of service:
Army and NavyWhere served:
41st Infantry Division 146 Field Artillery
(Army); USS Ticonderoga;
USS Coral SeaDetails of service:
Multiple cruises with Pacific Fleet to the
Far EastDates of service: Army 1955-58; Navy 1958-62
Christopher Brown Sr.Highest rank
achieved: ABH 3rd class
Branch of service: U.S. Navy
Where served: CVN 68 USS Nimitz
Details of service: Served in Atlantic Fleet with multiple
cruises to the Mediterranean area
Dates of service: March 1979 to March
1983
Christopher Brown Jr.Highest rank
achieved: SergeantBranch of service:
U.S. ArmyWhere served: 2nd
Infantry Division, 3rd Stryker Brigade
Details of service: Fought in every
major battle in Iraqi Freedom, including Fallujah, Mosul and Baghdad; received two Purple Hearts,
Commendation for Stryker Vehicle Commander under
hostile engage-ments; Personal Commendation
Medal for Operation Iraqi Freedom
Dates of service: November 2004 to
present
Fred ButlerHighest rank
achieved: Colonel
Branch of service: U.S. Army
Where served: Vietnam, Germany
and U.S.Dates of service: Jan. 8, 1963 to Jan. 31, 1990
Wayne E. BusbyBorn: 1920Died: 1995
Highest rank achieved: Aviation Machinist’s Mate
Second Class; ratings held — S1c, AMM3c,
AMM2cBranch of service:
U.S. NavyWhere served: NRAB Seattle, NRAB Pasco, Hed Ron 14-2, FAW-14, Hed Ron Fleet Airwing Six-FAW-4Dates of service:
April 1942 to October 1945
Gaius Sunday BuxtonHighest rank
achieved: Signalman third class
Branch of service: U.S. Navy
Where served: Signalman on staff
of Commander Transport Division 60
in the Pacific area on the USS Grimes; Okinawa Campaign, initial occupation of Tokyo Bay Area and
Nagasaki, JapanDates of service:
1944-1946
Jean-Michel ChristopherHighest rank
achieved: EM2 (electricians
mate second class)Branch of service:
U.S. NavyWhere served:
USS City of Corpus Christi
Dates of service: August 1992 to
August 1998
George W. Croft Jr. (Bud)Highest rank
achieved: E9 (master chief
petty officer)Branch of service:
U.S. ArmyWhere served:
Pacific Theatre, WWIIWounded in action:
In Pearl Harbor hospital recovering from appendectomy when the Japanese
began bombing Pearl Harbor. Ran out to veranda to see the entire Harbor as it
was being bombed. Read his story in the
military section on AncientFaces.com.Dates of service:
1941-1971
Joseph Elmer ChevalierBorn: Aug. 3, 1925
Highest rank achieved: Coxswain on the USS PGM19Branch of service:
U.S. NavyWhere served:
Okinawa and RyukyusDates of service: August 1942 to January 1946
Theodore Vernon Colbert Sr.Born: Jan. 22, 1922Died: Jan. 6, 2012
Highest rank achieved:
PFC/ Special Weapons Group
Branch of service: U.S. Marine Corps
Where served: World War II, in the Pacific Region and
fought in the Russell and Solomon islands,
on Rendova Island, and in Guam and the Guadalcanal Islands,
and stormed many beaches
Dates of service: Nov. 12, 1942 to
May 5, 1945Details of service:
awarded the Asiatic Pacific Ribbon 1
star for New Georgia Group Operations
Phillip James ConwayBorn: Feb. 22, 1926
Highest rank achieved: Coxswain on the USS
RenshawBranch of service:
U.S. NavyWhere served: World
War II — Solomon Islands, Marianas, Marshall Islands,
Saipan, Tinian, GuamDetails of service: He
was the coxen charged with ferrying the “big shots” to shore and transporting work
crews around the ship or to shore in a “gig.”
Dates of service: 1943 to 1946
Dallas CrossHighest rank
achieved: PFC, U.S. Army Infantry (twice
achieved)Branch of service:
U.S. ArmyWhere served:
Fort McNair, Washington, D.C., and Fort Meyer —
Arlington Cemetery, Arlington, Va.
Dates of service: Active service, Sept.
11, 1957 to Sept. 10, 1959; Army Reserve,
1959-1962Details of service: Drill platoon in The
Old Guard Regiment, 1957; worked with the Secret Service
as bayonet-guarded cordon lines to
limit access to the President and visiting
heads of state
Alice L. DavisHighest rank
achieved: Petty officer first class
Branch of service: U.S. Navy
Where served: San Diego; Great
Lakes, Ill.; Pearl Harbor; Camp LeJune, N.C.Dates of service: Aug. 11, 1994 to
present
William DixonHighest rank
achieved: Bos’n mate second
classBranch of service:
U.S. NavyWhere served:
Mediterranean and Pacific TheatresDates of service: October 1942 to
January 1946
W.J. (Joe) DodgeDied: June 3, 1982
Highest rank achieved: Private (infantry)
Branch of service: U.S. Army (Samuel
Company)Where served:
Georgia, not deployedDates of service:
Discharged May 3, 1919
W.J. (Joe) Dodge Jr.Highest rank
achieved: AO3 (aviation ord-nance man third
class)Branch of service:
U.S. NavyWhere served:
USS Hancock CVA-19, Southeast Asia
Dates of service: October 1961 to November 1963
Thomas D. DoneganHighest rank
achieved: Lieutenant colonelBranch of service:
U.S. Army Where served:
Panama, England, Europe, Korea
Wounded in action: Suffered machine
gun leg wounds while leading a rifle pla-
toon into Germany in February 1945
Dates of service: January 1940 – July 1946, July 1952 to
January 1965
James R. DarstBorn: Jan. 1, 1927Died: Oct. 27, 2011Branch of service:
U.S. NavyDates of service:
1945-1947Details of service:
served aboard a land-ing-craft carrier in the Pacific Theater during
World War II Raymond C. DavisBorn: July 8, 1941
Highest rank achieved: Radarman
third classBranch of service:
U.S. NavyWhere served:
Far East, Pacific, Guantanamo Bay,
CubaDetails of service: Served on the USS Washburn and USS
CabildoDates of service:
1959 to 1963
Archie AdairBorn: May 5, 1911
Died: Feb. 18, 1985Branch of service:
U.S. ArmyWhere served:
Germany in World War II
Details of service: While with the 83rd Infantry Division in
Germany, was award-ed the combat
infantryman’s badge for displaying
exemplary conduct in action
Allen Sherman Anderson Highest rank achieved: E-3
Branch of service: U.S. Navy
Dates of service: Dec. 2, 1972 to
April 7, 1977Details of service:
Hull tech, was on the USS Samuel Gompers, USS John Paul Jones,
USS Kitty Hawk; was off the coast of Vietnam from late
1973 until mid-1975; finished enlistment in dry dock at Bremerton shipyard overhauling
the Kitty Hawk
Edward E. AuthierHighest rank
achieved: Lieutenant colonel
Branch of service: U.S. Army
Where served: Germany, Korea, Vietnam and U.S.Dates of service:
1960 - 1980Details of service: Was a senior Army
aviator
Buford R. (Bud) AmbroseDeceased
Highest rank achieved: SK2 (store keeper second class)
Branch of service: U.S. Navy
Where served: South Pacific — USS
Saginaw BayDates of service: Feb. 15, 1943 to
Feb. 5, 1946
Gilbert R. AndressHighest rank
achieved: Carpenters mate
third class Branch of service:
U.S. Navy, SeaBees Naval
Construction Wounded in action:
Gun explosion caused tinnitus Where served: Pacific Ocean, Hawaii, Guam,
OkinawaDates of service: July 7, 1943 to March 6, 1946
William Ernest ArndtHighest rank
achieved: Baker second class Branch of service:
U.S. Navy Where served:
Pacific Dates of service: March 1943 to
December 1945
John ArnoldHighest rank
achieved: Lieutenant
Commander Branch of service:
U.S. Navy Where served:
U.S., Cuba, three tours in Vietnam Dates of service: August 1955 to January 1982
Daniel T. AndersonBranch of service:
U.S. NavyHighest rank achieved: ET2Where served:
Atlantic Theater two years aboard USS Pocono, flagship of the Atlantic FleetDetails of service:
Served as electronic technician
(UHF specialist); President Truman was often aboard the ship, using my radio shack
and equipment.Years of service:
1946-1948
John Michael BarryHighest rank
achieved: CorporalBranch of service: U.S. Marine Corps
Where served: Vietnam
Details of service: 1st Marine Air Wing, 3rd Marine Division; served in combat at Khe Sahn Combat
Base during Tet and the Siege of Khe Sahn
in February 1968; I Corps below the DMZ; in combat in Vietnam from December 1967
to August 1969Dates of service: February 1966 to
February 1972
Harry G. BehrensHighest rank
achieved: LTJGBranch of service:
U.S. NavyWhere served:
Served in Korea for one year
Dates of service: 1953-1955
Details of service: Was landing craft
control officer on the USS Logan
David Hardman Black Sr.Born: Nov. 5, 1945Died: Feb. 24, 2008
Highest rank achieved: SP5 E-5 (T) Feb 1969
Branch of service: U.S. Army
Where served: Thailand (1966-68)
Korea (1970)Dates of service:
1965 to 1977Details of service: Served in Vietnam in 1972 and was exposed to Agent
Orange; received the National Defense
Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary
Medal, Vietnam Service Medal,
Vietnam Campaign Medal, Good Conduct Medal (second award), two overseas bars and the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with palm;
buried at Camp Nelson National Cemetery in
Nicholasville, Ky.David Wayne BrackenBorn: 1917
Died: 1979 (in Issaquah)
Highest rank achieved: PFC
Branch of service: U.S. Army
Where served: Aleutian Islands
Details of service: Signal Corps
Dates of service: 1942 to 1945
William BentzHighest rank
achieved: Staff sergeant
Branch of service: U.S. Army
Where served: South Pacific, New Guinea Philippines; Fort Lawton, Wash. Dates of service:
1943-1946, 1948-1949
Carl B. Bridges Deceased (at age 70)
Branch of service: U.S. Navy
Where served: Stationed on the
USS BraineDates of service:
1952-1956
Jim BriodyHighest rank
achieved: Specialist 5 (E-5)
Branch of service: U.S. Army
Where served: U.S. Military Liaison Mission, West Berlin and Potsdam, East
GermanyDates of service:
1961-1964
Paul Eugene BartholomewHighest rank
achieved: Corporal; airman
second class Branch of service:
Air National Guard/Air Force Reserve/U.S.
Naval Reserve Where served: United States
Dates of service: Jan. 23, 1946 U.S.N.R to June 4, 1946; June 1948 A.N.G. to June 1952; May 1, 1951
U.S. Air Force to Dec. 20, 1951
Paul Thomas BooneBorn:
Sept. 26, 1924Died:
Oct. 7, 2009Highest rank
achieved: Flight officer
Branch of service: U.S. Air ForceWhere served:
P-51 pilot in combat in the
Philippines, New Guinea and other
places in the South Pacific
Details of service: He was in Japan after the bomb was dropped, and ferried numer-
ous planes from the islands to
storage areas.Dates of service:
1943-1946
Walter Lee BrazeltonHighest rank
achieved: First sergeant
Branch of service: U.S. Army
Where served: 508th MP BN,
Military Police; Fort Lawton, Wash.; 61st
MP Co., France; 62d MP (RAFP) Co.; USAREC,
Bloomington, Ill.; Special Forces
Thailand-Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam; 1st
Infantry Division Fwd., Germany; and
Fort LewisDates of service: October 1956 to December 1977
Albert AndersonBorn: Feb. 28, 1892
Died: Oct. 1969Highest rank
achieved: Fireman Second Class
Branch of service: NavyWhere served: U.S.S.
New YorkDates of service: May, 17, 1917 to
May 7, 1918
Rodney Albert AndersonBorn: Apr. 16, 1925Died: Nov. 16, 2000
Branch of service: Army
Where served: EuropeDetails of service:
served in World War II in the 97th Infantry
Division and drove a jeep
Vern G. AndersonBorn: Nov. 23, 1927Died: May 16, 2008
Highest rank achieved: CorporalBranch of service:
Navy and ArmyWhere served: Fort Lewis, Fort Lawton,
Whittier (Alaska), Port of Embarkation in
SeattleDates of service: 1946 (Navy) then discharged after
eight months, drafted again in 1951
Details of service: in Seattle, was a military
police officer at the main gate, in Alaska
unloaded ships
Angelo BoniBorn: Dec. 26, 1926Died: July 24, 2006
in IssaquahHighest rank
achieved: PrivateBranch of service:
ArmyDates of service: June 22, 1945 to
Nov. 11, 1946
Dan BoniBorn: Aug. 25, 1924Branch of service:
NavyWhere served: Motor
machinist’s mate second class unitDates of service: Sept. 17, 1943 to March 31, 1946
Details of service: served in combat in the South Pacific for
two years; Ship PGM8 received two letters
of commendation for services in Northern Solomons and the
Philippines
Louis BoniBorn: Nov. 24, 1918
Died: 2003 in Issaquah
Branch of service: Navy, water tender
Dates of service: April 3, 1942 to Nov. 29,
1945, and the Korean War
Details of service: served in combat in
the Pacific during World War II and the
Korean War
William Michael CooperBorn: April 25,1940
Highest rank achieved:
Master sergeantBranch of service: Air Force, Marine Corps
Where served: served in combat, Vietnam Conflict, first Marine
platoon to land, stayed until 1967Dates of service: USMC September
1958 to June 1967Details of service: also
in the Air Force and then the Reserves from 1980 to April 2000, retired after 29 years; from the
Air Force: Meritorious Service Award, Commendation
Medal, Outstanding Unit Award, Nave Unit Commendation, Air
Force Training Ribbon; from Marines: Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, Air Reserve Forces Meritorious
Service, Small Arms Expert Marksmanship,
National Defense Service Medal,
Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal
Robert R. CowardBorn: June 6, 1939
Highest rank achieved: Adjutant 3
Branch of service: Navy, Aviation
Machinist MateWhere served: air-
craft carriers, U.S.S. Kearsarge CVA 33 — U.S.S. Oriskany
CVA 34Dates of service: Sept. 10, 1957 to
Sept. 10, 1961
Gerald Patrick DarstBorn: March 17, 1932
Highest rank achieved: CorporalBranch of service:
ArmyDates of service:
1951-1952Details of service:
served in combat in Korea
Jack DompierBorn: Dec. 1, 1946
Highest rank achieved: RM3
Branch of service: Navy
Dates of service: 1966-1970
Details of service: served in combat;
the first tour to Vietnam was aboard the Destroyer USS Chevalier off the Vietnam coast in 1967-68. The last 2 1/2 years was
spent on PBRs (River Patrol Boat) at PBR
Mobile Base 1, north of Danang. One river
that was patrolled was the HUE river.
The Issaquah Press Wednesday, May 22, 2013 • B3
Norma Ernsting-EmmonsHighest rank
achieved: Storekeeper Second
Class Branch of service:
U.S. NavyWhere served:
Milledgeville, Ga.; and Bremerton, Wash.Dates of service: March 2, 1943 to
July 12, 1945
Duane W. EnglundHighest rank
achieved: Sergeant
Branch of service: Army EngineersWhere served:
Europe, Philippine IslandsDates of service:
July 1943 to January 1947
Tauno L. EricksonHighest rank
achieved: Technical sergeantBranch of service:
U.S. Army Signal Corps
Where served: Southwest and Central Pacific
theatersMedal awarded:
Bronze Star Dates of service:
May 1942 to October 1945
Ralph Carl EikenberryHighest rank
achieved: Staff sergeant
Branch of service: U.S. Marine Corps
infantryWhere served: Served
in a combat zone in Korea for six months in 1950 in the 7th
Marines; was wound-ed at Chosin Reservoir and was air evacuated
to JapanDates of service:
1946-48; 1950-51
Joel EsteyHighest rank achieved: E-5
Branch of service: U.S. Army
Where served: Served in combat in I Corps South Vietnam, Da Nang Chulai; mostly
in the field throughout tour of duty; American 196th Light InfantryDetails of service: Wounded by booby
trap; earned a Purple Heart and two Bronze Stars
Dates of service: 1967-1969
Luther Edward FranklinHighest rank
achieved: LieutenantBranch of service:
U.S. NavyWhere served: ZP-4 and NADEVU Naval
aviation unitsDetails of service:
Flew several aircraft and airships on
East Coast on anti-submarine missions
and as test beds for gadgets being
designed at MIT; fer-ried the admiral who lined up the world’s
warships at Norfolk’s 1954 Navy Centennial
Parade (he was tall and somewhat upset
I couldn’t strap a parachute harness on him); navigated
the superconnie that tracked Kruschev’s
plane as he departed our Northeast Coast 1957
Years of service: November 1953 to
November 1957
William Falkenstein Born: Dec. 22, 1913Died: Dec. 18, 2001
Highest rank achieved:
Master sergeantBranch of service:
U.S. ArmyWhere served:
WWII — New Guinea; Korean War — Seoul, Korea
Dates of service: 1940-1960
Delbert E. FlemingHighest rank
achieved: Chief petty officerBranch of service:
U.S. NavyWhere served:
Vietnam on various ships and
commandsDates of service:
1957-1977
Barry A. FederHighest rank
achieved: Lieutenant colonelBranch of service: U.S. Army, retired
Where served: Fort Polk, La.,
active duty; reserve units in Oregon and Washington; active duty for six months during Desert Storm
(first Gulf War) Dates of service: Commissioned in 1969; active duty
1973-1975; reserves 1975-1995
John E. FloodHighest rank
achieved: LieutenantBranch of service:
U.S. NavyWhere served: Supply Corps
Dates of service: Three years
Tyler Lenwood Fraker Born: June 11, 1970
Highest rank achieved:
E-4, fuels specialistBranch of service:
U.S. Air ForceWhere served:
Spain during Desert Shield and Dahran, Saudi Arabia, during
Desert StormDetails of service:
406th TFTWDates of service: October 1990 to
October 1994
Ray GiaudroneHighest rank
achieved: MM 1st Class
Branch of service: U.S. Navy
Where served: Navy Post OfficeDates of service:
1941-1945
Louis Charles GiraldinHighest rank
achieved: Radioman
second classBranch of service:
U.S. NavyWhere served:
North Pacific Ocean Dates of service: April 12, 1944 to
Feb. 21, 1946
Wayne GeigerHighest rank achieved: E4
Branch of service: U.S. Marine Corps
Where served: 1st Marine Division; served in combat in Danang, Vietnam, from May 1969 –
May 1970Dates of service: November 1968
to May 1970
William Daniel GilleyHighest rank
achieved: Sergeant Branch of service:
U.S. ArmyWhere served: Panama; Fort
Columbia, Wash.; and Fort Stevens,
Ore. (the forts guard-ing the mouth of the
Columbia River)Details of service:
Hurt very seriously in an accident as they
fired one of the 10-inch disappearing guns at Fort Columbia
early in 1942. Was unable to serve
afterward and was discharged.
Dates of service: 1936-1942
Doris GrossHighest rank
achieved: Link instructor,
involved in American Legion, first woman
vice commander Branch of service:
U.S. NavyWhere served:
Corpus Christi, Texas Dates of service:
1941-1945
David HayesHighest rank
achieved: Journalist first classBranch of service:
U.S. NavyWhere Served:
USS Simon Lake; Diego Garcia;
USS Kittyhawk; Naval Station Sandpoint,
Naval Station EverettDates of service:
1987-1998
S. William Hollingsworth Born: 1925Died: 2010
Highest rank achieved:
PFC (private first class) Branch of service: U.S. Army 100th
InfantryWounded in action: Wounded in combat in France, Nov. 1944
Dates of service: World War II January
1944 to August 1945
Shirley Beining HilgemannHighest rank
achieved: E5/SP5Branch of service:
U.S. ArmyWhere served: 9th
Adjutant General Fort Lewis; HQ U.S. Army Element, Brunssum,
The NetherlandsMedals awarded:
Army Commendation Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Joint Services Commendation Medal
Details of service: We married one year
before joining the U.S. Army. Would do it all over — the marriage
and serving. Dates of service:
1975-1980
Ewert HilgemannHighest rank
achieved: E5/SP5Branch of service:
U.S. ArmyWhere served: 9th
Adjutant General Fort Lewis; HQ U.S. Army Element, Brunssum,
The NetherlandsMedals awarded:
Army Commendation Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Joint Services
Commendation Medal, Expert (M16)
Details of service: Married my high school
sweetheart one year before joining the
Army. She convinced me that serving
together would be fun. It was.
Dates of service: 1975-1980
James Thurston HogansonHighest rank
achieved: Sergeant Branch of service: U.S. Army, infantry
Where served: 40th and 24th Infantry Divisions in KoreaDetails of service:
Served in combat in Korea as a
medical techDates of service: May
1953 to March 1955
Archie HowatsonBranch of service:
U.S. ArmyWhere served: Hawaii
for 26 months; Served during
combat in Okinawa, Japan, with the
892nd Ordnance Heavy Automotive
Maintenance Co. in the 10th Army; he
was a mechanic who kept the vehicles
movingDates of service: Jan.
5, 1942 to 1945
Ron HowatsonHighest rank
achieved: CD3
Branch of service: U.S. Navy — Seabees
Where served: Korea 1952-1954
Kenneth Lee HamptonBorn: Nov. 12, 1931
Highest rank achieved:
Staff sergeantBranch of service: U.S. Army Security
AgencyWhere served: Korea
Details of service: Served until the truce
was signedDates of service:
1952 to 1955
Roger L. HericDied: 1994
Highest rank achieved: SergeantBranch of service:
U.S. ArmyWhere served:
Germany, 749th Tank Battalion
Details of service: The 749th fought with the
76th Division, April 7-30, 1944; was
wounded in action
Erik Johnson Highest rank
achieved: Second class petty officer
Branch of service: U.S. Navy
Where served: Iraq
Dates of service: 1994-2006
Roy InuiHighest rank achieved: T5
Branch of service: U.S. Army
Where served: Was an allied translator, interpreter section; served in combat in
the Philippines for two months
Details of service: Received Presidential
Unit Citation, Congressional Gold
Medal (2011), Philippine Liberation
Medal, othersDates of service:
1944-1946
Steve Johnson Highest rank
achieved: Sergeant
Branch of service: U.S. Army
Where served: Vietnam
Dates of service: August 1967 to
August 1969Daryl E. Johnson
Born: December 1927
Died: October 2009Highest rank
achieved: Seaman first class
Branch of service: U.S. Navy
Where served: Washington, D.C.Dates of service:
1945-1946
Donnas D. JohnsonHighest rank
achieved: YN1Branch of service:
U.S. NavyWhere served: Mare
Island Naval Shipyard; Alameda Naval
AirbaseDates of service:
1950-1954
Scott Wayne JohnsonHighest rank
achieved: E4 AMH/AMS
Branch of service: U.S. Navy
Where served: VAQ – 129 VikingDates of service:
1978-1988
Bonnie Eugene Johnson Jr.Born: July 5, 1925Died: March 29,
2012Highest rank
achieved: ETM 3CBranch of service:
U.S. NavyDates of service:
Jan. 1, 1944 to May 31, 1946
Details of service: Great Lakes Naval Air Station in Radio
Training School, radio operator, World War II
veteran
Rolland R. Kiefel Highest rank
achieved: Storekeeper
second class (SK2) Branch of service:
U.S. Navy Where served:
Atlantic, Mediterranean, Gulf of Mexico
aboard USS Exultant, USS Rigel,
USS Des Moines, USS Conway
Dates of service: June 6, 1958 to
June 6, 1964
Larry R. Kulin Deceased
Highest rank achieved:
Yeoman Third Class Branch of service:
U.S. Navy Where served: Japan, Hawaii,
PhilippinesDates of service:
1959-1963
Gene KlineburgerHighest rank
achieved: Corporal
Branch of service: U.S. Army
Where served: Utah, California,
ArizonaDates of service:
1942-1945
David T. EvansBorn: Oct. 2, 1943
Died: 2002Highest rank achieved: 1st
LieutenantBranch of service:
U.S. ArmyWhere served: Tour of duty was from 1967-1969 in Heidelberg,
GermanyDates of service:
1967-1969Details of service: Military Police and
Criminal Investigation Division
Durward M. GarrettHighest rank
achieved: Lt. Col.Branch of service: Air Force (retired)
Where served: ser-vice included WWII, occupation forces in Japan, troop carrier duties from Guam covering the entire South Pacific, the Berlin airlift, the
Korean Conflict, and The Cold War era including Vietnam
while serving in the Strategic Air Command (SAC)Dates of service:
enlisted in the Army Air Corps as an avia-
tion cadet in June 1943 and retired in
June 1966Details of service:
served on B-17, B-29, F-2,C-54,
KB-29, KC-97 and KC 135 aircraft and was instructor navigator/
master navigator
Joseph L. GroveBorn: March 16,
1942Highest rank
achieved: Sgt. First Class
Branch of service: four years active duty
Air Force, six years Navy Reserve, 10
years Army National Guard
Where served: served four years at the
Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska; six
years with the Navy Reserve in Alaska and Arkansas, and 10 years with the
Arkansas Army National Guard
Dates of service: 1960-1964; 1985-
2002Details of service:
active duty Air Force 5040th Supply
Squadron, US Navy Reserve and Army
National Guard 875 Combat Engineers
Judson Burns HarperBorn: Dec. 8, 1936
Highest rank achieved: Gunnery
sergeantBranch of service: U.S. Marine Corps
Where served: Korea and VietnamDetails of service: Awarded Combat Action Medal, two
air medals, six good conduct medals, Navy commendation, served as aerial gunman on
CH-46 helicoptersDates of service: Dec. 10, 1953
to June 30, 1973
Robert C. HarperHighest rank
achieved: Corporal
Branch of service: U.S. Army Signal Corps MOS 1187
Where served: U.S. and GermanyDates of service:
December 1952 to November 1954
Reed W. JarvisDied: April 1, 2012
Highest rank achieved: Colonel
Branch of service: U.S. Army and U.S. Navy,
U.S. Army, Washington National Guard,
Washington State Guard
Where served: Korea, Persian Gulf
Details of service: Active and reserveDates of service: March 1951 to
June 2001
Brown Bear Car Wash is proud to salute our community’s veterans.
Ivan A. LeeHighest rank
achieved: Lieutenant commander
Branch of service: U.S. Navy
Where served: Patrol Squadron 46 (VP-46); Vietnam 1972-1974
Dates of service: July 1969 to
September 1974
Arthur E. Landdeck Born: April 25, 1921 Died: March 9, 2003
Highest rank achieved: Sergeant
Branch of service: U.S. Army, 1393rd
Engineer Construction Battalion; entry
and training – Fort Leavenworth, Kan., and Camp Joseph T.
Robinson, Ark. Where served:
During WWII, in the Pacific Theater – In
the Philippines was in the Battle at LuzonDates of service: June 15, 1942 to
Dec. 23, 1945
Howard E. LanddeckHighest rank
achieved: AX3 (aviation
antisubmarine warfare technician,
third class)Branch of service:
U.S. Navy Where served:
Ream Field, Imperial Beach, Calif.; USS
BenningtonDates of service: Nov. 17, 1961 to Aug. 31, 1965
Richard C. LarsonBorn: Aug. 3, 1919Died: Nov. 26, 2010
Highest rank achieved: Tech
Sergeant 5th GradeBranch of service:
U.S. ArmyWhere served: 2nd Armored Division
Headquarters Company 66th
Armored Regiment Details of service:
Fought in World War II — North Africa, Sicily,
Holland, France, Belgium
and Germany Dates of service: February 1941 to
July 1945
Margaret (Slate) LarsenBorn: April 12, 1930
Highest rank achieved: Staff sergeant
Branch of service: U.S. Air Force
Where served: KoreaDetails of service: As one of very few female radio repair
technicians, she worked to prepare
Presidents Truman’s and Eisenhower’s
planes for flights in the Pacific.
Dates of service: 1951-1954
Edward Prior LeahyBorn: April 1, 1923
Highest rank achieved: Lieutenant JG
Branch of service: U.S. Navy/ Marine
CorpsWhere served: 4th Marine Division — Iwo Jima, Marshall
Islands, Tinian, SaipanDetails of service:
Injured and taken to the hospital on the third day of attacks
on Iwo JimaDates of service:
1942 to 1945
Steven W. Lewis Highest rank
achieved: CorporalBranch of service: U.S. Marine Corps
Where served: Vietnam
Dates of service: 1966-1972
B4 • Wednesday, May 22, 2013 The Issaquah Press
Robert C. LyonHighest rank
achieved: Lieutenant commander
Branch of service: U.S. Navy
Where served: Served in combat in Korea
for 18 monthsDetails of service: On senior ship in Inchon
Harbor at the time of the truce in 1953; commanding officer of USS Lenawee APA 195; navigating offi-
cer of USS MastersonDates of service:
May 17, 1943 to July 1, 1966
Sean S. Lewis Highest rank
achieved: Private first classBranch of service: U.S. Marine CorpsDates of service: 2011 – currently
serving
Lucille E. LundstromBranch of service:
U.S. ArmyHighest rank
achieved: First lieutenant Where served:
General nursing care on the hospital ship Marigold, Zone
of Interior and in the European and Southwest Pacific
Theaters of operation
Details of service: Was the youngest
nurse on the Marigold at age 22; Bronze
Star (4) Asiatic-Pacific Campaign
Medal; Bronze Star (2) European-African
Middle Eastern Campaign Medal;
Bronze Star (2) Philippine Liberation
Medal Years of service: Dec. 31, 1943 to
Feb. 1, 1946
Ledo J. MalmassariDied: Oct. 25, 1998
Highest rank achieved: Sergeant
Branch of service: U.S. Army
Where served: Korea – Third Infantry
DivisionDates of service:
1950-1952
Norman W. McLeanDeceased
Highest rank achieved:
Seaman first classBranch of service: U.S. Coast Guard
Where served: Alaska
Dates of service: April 21, 1943 to March 18, 1946
Kathleen R. MerrillHighest rank
achieved: Specialist 4
Branch of service: U.S. Army/Reserve
Where served: Various states includ-
ing Indiana, South Carolina and Colorado
Dates of service: March 1983 to
December 1989
Edith Rose MacDougallDeceased (at age 58)
Highest rank achieved:
Mechanics mateBranch of service:
Navy — WAVES Where served:
Cedar Falls, Iowa; Norman, Okla.
Dates of service: 1943-1944
Mother of Issaquah Mayor Ava Frisinger
Jeremiah Fraser Pitts MacDougall
Deceased (at age 76)Highest rank
achieved: Lt. junior grade
Branch of service: Navy
Where served: South Pacific; Atlantic
Dates of service: 1943-1945 active
duty; reserve to 1954Father of Issaquah Mayor Ava Frisinger
Bob McCoyHighest rank
achieved: Lieutenant
Branch of service: U.S. Navy
Where served: USS Forrestal CVA-
59, Sixth Fleet (Mediterranean)Dates of service:
1966-1973
John A. MarshDeceased
Highest rank achieved: PrivateBranch of service:
U.S. ArmyWhere served:
75th Infantry DivisionDetails of service: Served in combat for one year in the European Theatre;
received Purple Heart for being wounded during the Battle of
the Bulge
Urban V. MassetHighest rank achieved: E-7
Branch of service: U.S. Coast Guard
Where served: Marine Patrol; Marine
Inspection; served in combat in Korean
waters marking chan-nels for troop ships
for six monthsDetails of service:
Served from Korean Waters — Bering Sea Patrol — ice breaking for dew line; teaching
firefighting school at T.I. Coast Guard Academy; and up
and down the East Coast all in different groups. Wrote book for Marine Corps on
the new Marine Corps in 1985.
Dates of service: 1952 until retirement
Ed McKeeHighest rank
achieved: SergeantBranch of service:
U.S. Air Force, turret gunner
Where served: Served in combat in 12th Air Force in Corsica, fall and winter of 1944-
45; 23 bombing missions over
European TheaterDates of service: Sept. 16, 1940 to
Sept. 14, 1945
David John MitmanBranch of service:
U.S. NavyWhere served: USS
Coral SeaDetails of service:
Served as flight engi-neer for top secret Martin Mercator
intelligence-gathering aircraft, flying spy
missions into Soviet airspace from Port Lyautey, Morocco.
During one mission, his plane was fired at
by a Soviet surface to air missile. (It
missed.)Years of service:
1951-1953
Duncan MulhollandHighest rank
achieved: Staff sergeant
Branch of service: U.S. Air Force
Where served: 3595th GIDIST
Supply Squadrons; Nellis Air Force Base
1951-52; NCOIC Base Supply Nagoya,
Japan, 1952-54
Details of service: Received good con-
duct medal, National Defense Medal,
Korean Service Medal and United Nations
MedalDates of service:
November 1950 to November 1954
David V. MerrittHighest rank
achieved: SFC (sergeant
first class)Branch of service:
U.S. Army Where served:
Okinawa, Vietnam, India, Bolivia, Greece
and Afghanistan Dates of service:
July 1954 to July 1957;
September 1959 to November 1976
Alan Ray MilesBorn: July 18, 1947
Highest rank achieved: CorporalBranch of service: U.S. Marine Corps
Where served: Vietnam
Details of service: Received the Purple Heart for shrapnel in the leg, Presidential Unit Citation, 2nd Battalion and 9th Marine Division
Dates of service: 1967 to 1968
Leonard MilesBorn: Dec. 16, 1920
Died: 2005 (in Issaquah)Highest rank
achieved: PFC, washman
Branch of service: U.S. Army
Where served: Sitka, Alaska
Details of service: Received the Victory
MedalDates of service:
1945 to 1946
Gary C. NewbillHighest rank
achieved: Major
Branch of service: U.S. Marine Corps
ReserveWhere served:
Virginia; California; Okinawa, Japan;
The Philippines and Vietnam
Dates of service: January 1965 to
March 1968 (active duty)
Norman B. ‘Crash’ Nash Highest rank
achieved: CaptainBranch of service:
U.S. NavyWhere served:
Service included two combat tours in A-6 Intruders in Vietnam
Dates of service: 1957-1988
Details of service: naval aviator; served in attack squadrons and weapons test facilities, was an
aircraft carrier opera-tions officer, squad-
ron commanding
Lee O. OlsonBorn: Oct. 28, 1921
Highest rank achieved: Lt J.G.
Branch of service: USNR Air Group IV
Where served: Pacific Theatre during WWII
Dates of service: August 1942 to December 1942
Details of service: fighter pilot Air Group
IV, flying F6F-3 Air Grumman Hellcats; saw action under
Admiral Halsey and flew off of the USS Essex, including the
first carrier based raid on Tokyo involving over 1,200 targets; decorated with the
Air Medal Citation for meritorious achieve-
ment, skills and cour-age in the highest tra-ditions of U.S. Naval
Service
Charles D. ParkerDied: Nov. 7, 2010
Highest rank achieved: Captain
Branch of service: U.S. Marine Corps
Where served: U.S.; Okinawa, Japan;
VietnamDates of service: Sept. 9, 1954 to Sept. 30, 1974
Russell D. PeeryHighest rank
achieved: Specialist 4th class
Branch of service: U.S. Army/ Washington
National Guard Where served:
Camp Murray, Wash., 181st Support
Battalion, Company DDates of service: August 1977 to
May 1983
Louis OrtizHighest rank
achieved: Petty officer second class
Branch of service: U.S. Navy
Where served: In the Pacific, aboard
the carrier USS Lexington, as radio
gunmanWounded in action:
Received Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal and
Purple HeartDates of service:
1942-1945
Norman PeeryHighest rank
achieved: Seaman first class Branch of service:
U.S. NavyWhere served:
Aleutians Islands Alaska; Japan; USS
Jarvis DD-799Dates of service: Dec. 16 1943 to
May 19 1946
Gerald Francis PetersenBorn: Sept. 15, 1925
Highest rank achieved: Air cadetBranch of service: U.S. Army/Air Force
Where served: Various bases in the U.S.Dates of service:
1943 to 1945
Elmer John Petett Highest rank
achieved: Pharmacists mate
second class Branch of service:
U.S. NavyWhere served:
USS Alshain in the Asiatic Pacific and
PhilippinesDates of service:
July 1943 to March 1946
John Norman Naegle Born: May 1, 1942Died: Jan. 4, 1999
Highest rank achieved: Commander
Branch of service: U.S. Coast GuardDetails of service:
Coast Guard Academy graduate with honors in 1964; Master of
Science in engineer-ing, University of Michigan – Naval
Architecture 1969; Engineering Mechanics
1970; Ph.D. Naval Architecture, Marine Engineering 1980;
Détente Delegation to USSR 1974-75; served on several “wind” class
ice breakersDates of service:
1964-1985
William Kenneth LokenBorn: Oct. 1, 1930
Highest rank achieved: JO3
Branch of service: Navy
Where served: Whidbey Island
Naval Air Station & Commander
Submarine Force Pacific Fleet
Dates of service: Jan. 17, 1951 to Dec. 3,
1954Details of service:
Journalist
Don A. McWhirterBorn: March 1, 1931
Highest rank achieved: S/SGT
Branch of service: U.S. Air Force
Dates of service: May 23, 1949 to
Nov. 7, 1952Details of service:
HRRCWhere served:
Lackland AFB, San Antonio, TX, through basic training, perma-
nent party at HRRC until discharged
John MeekBorn: Sept. 30, 1961
Highest rank achieved: Sgt.
Branch of service: Army
Where served: served in combat, Persian Gulf War (Aug. 22, 1990 to
April 1, 1991), one of first 10 Washington Army National Guard reservists deployed to Saudi Arabia in
support of Operation Desert Shield
Dates of service: Nov. 1, 1984 to May 16, 1992
Details of service: Combat Engineer, 317th Engr BN &
116th RAOCMichael Dean Miles
Born: Oct. 10, 1951Highest rank
achieved: Lance corporal
Branch of service: U.S. Marine Corps
Where served: Okinawa
Details of service: Meritorious Unit
Citation and National Defense Service
Medal, 5th Marine Division, Fleet Marine
Force PacificDates of service:
1970 to 1972Melvin Miller
Born: Nov. 5, 1922Died: April 25, 2010Branch of service:
NavyWhere served:
Philippine TheatreDates of service:
1942-1945
Donald NelsonBorn: Jan. 11, 1928
Died: 1969Highest rank
achieved: SpecialistBranch of service:
ArmyWhere served: served
in combat in the Korean Conflict for a
little more than a yearDates of service:
1950-1953Details of service:
Headquarters Company
Gerald A. NelsonBorn: July 26, 1944
Highest rank achieved: Specialist 5
Branch of service: Army National
Guard and Military Policeman
Where served: California
Dates of service: January 1964 to
January 1970Details of service:
Outstanding military policeman of our company in 1967
Ernest R. NybergHighest rank
achieved: Sergeant
Branch of service: U.S. Army Air Force
Where served: South Pacific –
Tinian IslandWounded in action:
B-29 crashed off Iwo Jima, three men survived out of crew of 10, Ernie made 17 missions, some over
capital of JapanDates of service:
1943-1945
Ruben NietoBorn: May 4, 1946
Highest rank achieved: Spl. 4
Branch of service: U.S. Army
Dates of service: June 1966 to March 1968
Details of service: Radio Operator (RTO), 1st Cavalry Div/1/7th
Cavalry Regiment, served in combat,
Vietnam, December 1966 to December
1967
Michael O’ConnorBranch of service:
Air ForceDates of service:
1962-1966Details: Michael
joined the Air Force right out of high
school because his older brother did and found out it was the
easiest. In those days you either joined a
branch of your choice or else they drafted you into the army.
Vernon M. Parrett, M.D.Highest rank
achieved: CaptainBranch of service: U.S. Army, medical
Where served: Served two years in
the Valley Forge Army Hospital in officers’ ward, tuberculosis
unitDates of service:
1944-46 and 1952-54
Kiwanis Club of Issaquah, Hone Landscaping & Excavation, Dr. Alexandra Cristescu and Integrity Automotive Maintenance & Repair remember our local veterans.
Philip PitruzzelloHighest rank
achieved: Aviation Radioman
Second Class Branch of service:
U.S. Navy Where served: Atlantic Fleet, Pacific Fleet
Dates of service: June 1942 to
September 1945
Robert PlossHighest rank
achieved: CaptainBranch of service: U.S. Air Force (B-17 pilot, physician U.A. Air Force medical)Where served: 11 combat missions
over Germany; POW Mission Austria to France; two food
drops to the Dutch; flew Atlantic twiceDates of service:
1943-1952
Meindert PillieDied: March 10, 2010, at age 95
Highest rank achieved: Sergeant
Branch of service: U.S. Army Air Corps
Where served: Instructor at 349th
Flexible Gunnery Training Squadron, Tyndall Field, Fla.Dates of service: Oct. 21, 1941 to Sept. 17, 1943
Jeston J. PhillipsBorn: Feb. 9, 1923
Highest rank achieved: WT3/CBranch of service:
NavyWhere served:
USS Ludlow during World War II
Dates of service: 1944-1946
Details of service: served in combat in World War II,
American Area, Victory medal, Asiatic Pacific
Jay Robert RodneHighest rank
achieved: Lieutenant colonelBranch of service: U.S. Marine Corps/still serving in the
U.S. Marine ReserveWhere Served:
Persian Gulf War (1991); Somalia
(1992-93); Operation Iraqi Freedom, Kuwait
& Iraq (2003)Dates of service:
1990-present
Reuben Allen RichardHighest rank
achieved: SP4Branch of service:
U.S. ArmyWhere served:
Co. E 122nd Mnt. Bn. USAREUR
Dates of service: January 1968 to December 1969
Michael M. RisteDeceased
Highest rank achieved: SP5/E-5Branch of service:
U.S. Army, transportationWhere served:
1st Cavalry DivisionDetails of service:
Served three tours of duty in VietnamYears of service: Oct. 25, 1966 to Nov. 15, 1983
To learn more about this section, read Managing Editor Kathleen R. Merrill’s column on Page A6.
Neal Harley HowardBorn: Oct. 6, 1945
DeceasedHighest rank
achieved: Specialist 4th Class
Branch of service: Army
Where served: 5th of 46th Light Infantry
Brigade attached to 198th Light Infantry Brigade, located in
Chulai below DanangDates of service: January 1967 to
January 1969Details of service:
served in combat in Vietnam, mortar man (killing radius is 50
meters; mortar would go up 5 miles)
The Issaquah Press Wednesday, May 22, 2013 • B5
Robert Howard Rockwell (Rocky)Highest rank
achieved: PFC (private first class)
Branch of service: U.S. Army 173rd Airborne Recon,
RTO (radio telephone operator) call sign
Papa Kilo, nickname Crash
Where served: Vietnam 1969-1970
(The Blackscarfed Gunslingers)
Dates of service: 1968-1970
Elmo Jerome SagedahlHighest rank
achieved: Corporal
Branch of service: U.S. Marine Corps
Where served: Pacific area
Dates of service: May 26, 1944 to
Aug. 31, 1946
Daniel S. SegonHighest rank
achieved: Private Branch of service:
U.S. Army Where served:
GermanyDates of service:
1966-1967
Edward SchaeferBorn: June 10, 1911
Died: 1986 in Spokane
Highest rank achieved: Technician
fifth grade (Tec 5)Branch of service:
U.S. ArmyWhere served: Served
in combat in the European Theater, February 1944 to November 1945;
3429th Ord Mam Co.Details of service: “A man who loved his
country”Dates of service:
1943-1945
Dave SaoHighest rank
achieved: Staff sergeant
Branch of service: U.S. Air Force
Where served: Strategic Air Command
Dates of service: March 1966 to
March 1970Details of service:
Munitions specialist, sent to Anderson AFB in Guam and Utapao
AFB in Thailand, team chief of a team that was responsible for loading hundreds of bombs each day on
B52 bombers in sup-port of the Vietnam
War, and loading and caring for nuclear
weapons stateside.
Lee F. Scheeler
Born: April 10, 1926Highest rank achieved: PFC
Branch of service: U.S. Army/Air Force
Where served: Germany,
9th Infantry DivisionDetails of service:
4th Infantry DIV Rifleman, 22nd
InfantryDates of service:
1944 to 1946
Frank Valentine SchroederBorn: Feb. 10, 1894Died: Sept. 6, 1977Branch of service:
U.S. ArmyDetails of service:
Fought in France dur-ing World War I
John SchroederBorn: Feb. 23, 1888Died: Jan. 10, 1973
Highest rank achieved: privateBranch of service:
U.S. ArmyDates of service:
Muster out telegram Nov. 16, 1918,
according to dis-charge papers. Start
date unknown.Details of service:
Last assigned school for cooks and bakers. Was a cook at Camp Lewis, now known as
Fort Lewis.
William Edward SeilDeceased(at age 66)
Highest rank achieved: Colonel
Branch of service: U.S. Air Force
Where served: World War II, Korea
and VietnamDates of service:
1944-1975
Jack Richard SteidlHighest rank
achieved: PFC (private first
class)Branch of service: U.S. Army Air Corps
Where served: Jackson, Tenn.
Dates of service: 1941-1944
William Britton StrikerBorn: Dec. 12, 1907 Died: Oct. 1, 2003
Highest rank achieved:
T-4, sergeantBranch of service:
U.S. Army, Big Red 1Where served: Omaha Beach
Normandy, Sicily, Tunisia, European – African Campaign,
Middle Eastern front – Ardennes
Wounded in action: Leg wounds, shrapnel,
received Silver Star and Bronze StarDates of service: July. 6, 1942 to Sept. 2, 1945
Ernest Milton SwansonHighest rank
achieved: Aviation machinist
first classBranch of service:
Coast GuardDates of service:
Oct. 21, 1941 to Dec. 23, 1946
George H. SwansonDied: 1992
Branch of service: U.S. Army Air Corps
Where served: United States
Dates of service: 1943-1945
John SwansonDied: 2001
Highest rank achieved:
Staff sergeant Branch of service: U.S. Army Air Corps
Where served: Missouri and Alberta, Ferry Command Post
planes to Russia Dates of service:
1942-1945
William A. SomsakHighest rank
achieved: Boatswain’s mate
third class Branch of service:
U.S. Navy Where served:
Marshall Islands, USS Midway
Details of service: Received two med-
als; operated landing craft
Dates of service: 1942-1944
Hugh Gordon RossNo photo available
Highest rank achieved:
Petty officer 2Branch of service:
U.S. Navy, cryptograph tech
Where served: Strategic nuclear deter-rence in South China Sea during Vietnam
War; Combat Zone vet, 1972-1973; nuclear
submarine forceDates of service: January 1971 to
January 1977
Alonzo Lee SweetBorn: Nov. 18, 1938
Died: 2003Highest rank
achieved: CorporalBranch of service:
U.S. NavyDates of service: April 27, 1956 to
Oct. 16, 1959
Frank R. TroutmanDeceased
Highest rank achieved: Colonel
Branch of service: U.S. Army/Air Force
Where served: Pacific, Italy
Dates of service: May 1940 to January 1984
Details of service: APTO-US-MTO
Dallas L. WaggonerDeceased(at age 76)
Highest rank achieved:
Tech sergeant Branch of service:
U.S. Army Where served: Europe, Italy, North Africa
Wounded in action: Purple Heart awarded
Dates of service: 1941-1945
David S. WaggonerHighest rank
achieved: Lieutenant colonel Branch of service:
U.S. Army Where served:
Vietnam, Central America, U.S.
Wounded in action: Purple Heart awarded
Dates of service: 1968-1993
Dwight Eldon WaggonerBorn: August 23,
1922Died: Oct. 9, 2009
Highest rank achieved:
Seaman third classBranch of service:
U.S. NavyWhere served: South Pacific
Details of service: American Area
Campaign Medal, Asiatic Pacific Area Campaign Medal,
WWII Victory MedalDates of service:
April 1943 to November 1945
Austin Vickery WigginsBranch of service: U.S. Marine Corps
Where served: Saipan in the
Mariana IslandsDates of service:
1942-1946
Robert Edward WolahanBorn:
Nov. 23, 1932Deceased:
Dec. 10, 2010Highest rank
achieved: PNC (chief)
Branch of service: U.S. Navy
Where served: Korea and Vietnam
Dates of service: 1950-1970
Geoff WarrenHighest rank
achieved: CDRBranch of service: U.S. Coast GuardDates of service: 1992 to current
Details of service: continues to serve in the Coast Guard
Reserve; is the senior reserve officer for
Sector Puget Sound in Seattle; has mobi-
lized for national disasters such as the Deepwater Oil Spill,
the Haiti Earthquake and Hurricane
Katrina; flew C-130s while stationed at
Kodiak, Alaska, and Elizabeth City, N.C.
James WoodBorn: May 8, 1950
Highest rank achieved: RM3
Branch of service: U.S. Navy
Where served: Vietnam, three toursDetails of service:
Radio Teletype Task Group operator, Yankee Station
Dates of service: 1968 to 1972
James H. Van WinkleDied: Feb. 9, 2008
Drafted into the U.S. Army in 1944, one month before high school graduation.Deployed to Japan and in transit, the Japanese surren-dered before he
arrived. James went from front line duty to a clerk typist in the office due to
termination of the war. Stayed in Japan in civil service and returned stateside from Kanagawa, Japan, on Nov. 5,
1946
George Van LeeuwenBorn: May 18, 1921
Died: 2012Highest rank
achieved: LieutenantBranch of service:
Army/Air ForceWhere served: served
in combat in the South Pacific
Dates of service: 1943-1945
Details of service: pilot, flew C46
Winston Matthew Yourglich
Highest rank achieved:
PhM3c (photographer’s mate third class)
Branch of service: U.S. Navy
Where served: South Pacific
Wounded in action: After his ship, the USS Houston, was
torpedoed, Winston swam in shark-
infested waters in the China Seas for four hours before being
picked up.Dates of service: Oct. 11, 1943 to April 13, 1946
David Les YeisleyBorn: Dec. 23, 1932
Highest rank achieved: SergeantBranch of service: U.S. Army, Infantry
Where served: 3rd Infantry Division,
Korea and 28th Infantry Division,
GermanyDetails of service:
Received Bronze Star with V-Device Combat
Infantry Badge, Korean Service Medal with
Bronze Service Stars and United Service
Medal, National Defense and Army
Occupation (Germany) Medals
Dates of service: Jan. 22, 1951 to
Jan. 8, 1954
Jack YusenBranch of service:
U.S. NavyWhere served: Pacific Theater: Home Front,
Atlantic sub scare, Leyte Gulf
Details of service: Served aboard
the USS Samuel B. Roberts amid
World War II, until Japanese forces
sunk the destroyer escort in the Battle of Leyte Gulf — the largest naval battle during World War
II; some sailors sur-vived the attack only to bob in the shark-infested Philippine Sea until rescuers arrived days later
Gale Robert SchroederBorn: March 1935
Deceased: June 2005Highest rank
achieved: Master Sergeant
Branch of service: Army
Where served: last unit 409th Engineer Company, ReserveDates of service: 1954-1963 and
1976-1994Details of service: airplane mechanic
Mary Ellen Holmes Sheridan
Born: Sept. 7, 1927Highest rank
achieved: LieutenantBranch of service:
NavyWhere served:
Pentagon; White House; Kodiak,
Alaska; Long Beach, Calif.; Kansas City,
Mo. (recruiting); Newport, R.I.
Dates of service: 1953-1960
Details of service: received a letter of
commendation from the chairman, Joint
Chief of Staff
Jay Anthony VanniHighest rank
achieved: Petty officer third class
Branch of service: U.S. Navy
Where served: two six-month tours to
Persian Gulf on the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson as cata-
pult officerDetails of ser-vice: Letter of
Commendation; grad-uated from Central
Washington University with degrees in sci-ence and business;
now lives in St. Louis (he lived in Issaquah
for 36 years)Dates of Service:
1993-1997
William James Weatherford
Born: March 8, 1925Highest rank
achieved: MAM 2CBranch of service:
NavyWhere served: NTS
Farragut, Idaho, Acorn 21 NAB Navy 825
NAS, Seattle, PSCU 5NB, Bremerton, served in combat
in Roi-Namur in the Marshall Islands for
15 monthsDates of service: July 1943 to March 1946
Details of ser-vice: Awarded
Asiatic Pacific Area Campaign Medal — 1 star and World War II
Victory Medal
The Issaquah Sportsmen’s Club, The Issaquah Valley Grange, Bellevue Honda, Fischer Meats, The Erickson Family and Las Margaritas honor our community’s veterans.
Standing in front of the Veterans Wall of Honor at the Bellewood retirement living community on May 17 are (from left) Joe Wallis, Herb Lyons, Florence Blankenship, Jack Loppnow, Colin Corbett, Jack Jessup, Bruce Leavitt, Matt Winzen, O.J. Hjelt, Don Carter, Hobie Larson, Helen Sabin, Jim Thompson and Gordon Hanson. There are 20 veterans living in the community.
By GreG Farrar
BELLEWOOD VETERAN FAMILY
TELL US YOUR STORYIf you served in the military during wartime, we want to hear from you. We would like to share your story in future papers. Email Managing Editor Kathleen R. Merrill at [email protected].
THANK YOUSpecial thanks to
the many local residents who
contributed through PayPal and Go Fund
Me to help us publish this section.
Milton BronsdonHighest rank
achieved: Interior
Communications Second Class
Branch of service: U.S. Navy
Where served: served on U.S.S. Grand Canyon AD28, traveled
to Mediterranean countries, England,
Norway, CubaDates of service:
1955-1958
B6 • Wednesday, May 22, 2013 The Issaquah Press
Evergreen Ford, Klahanie Family Dentistry, Kiwanis Club of Issaquah Valley, NAPA Auto Parts of Issaquah, The Johnson Family and Earth Pet honor our veterans.
nity at Pine Lake. He sits at the same table near the window and shares stories with the same group of men at every meal. Two or three times every week, he is joined by his son Kevin Murphy.
Sherrie Reid, the com-munity relations manager at Spiritwood, described Murphy as a hero to mem-bers of her staff and other residents of the facility. She said the World War II veteran likes to take com-mand of his entourage in the dining room as if he were still in the cockpit of his bomber.
“My dad likes to tell everybody within earshot that if it were not for him — and the other brave pilots who flew those tin can ice boxes during World War II — that we’d prob-ably all be speaking Japa-nese right now,” Kevin said proudly. “There were lots of heroes who fought for this country during World War II. Each of them has a story, but they are in the twilight of their years and the stories are falling silent with each passing.”
Flying into an ambushThe proud son was able
to fill in many of the gaps in his father’s narrative from the war. According to Kevin, his father was assigned to the Shemya Air Station at the east end of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska and received orders for his first mission within hours of his arrival.
The target was a mili-tary complex on one of the northern islands that make up the Japanese homeland. The American planes would fly southwest for nine hours across the northern Pacific so they could arrive over the target at twilight to reduce the ac-curacy of the anti-aircraft batteries and fighters that had been assigned to pro-tect the Japanese base.
The American attack plan had the larger B-24s
scheduled to deliver their payload from high altitude followed by low-level runs from the smaller B-25 bombers. The planes took off from Alaska and flew southwest under radio silence.
The one detail com-manders of the American 11th Air Force did not take into consideration, according to the younger Murphy, was that the B-25s were much faster and arrived at the target ahead of the hulking B-24s. So that by the time the larger planes arrived, the smaller bombers had finished their runs and Japanese fight-ers were already in the air ready to defend their homeland.
“They flew into an ambush,” Kevin said. “The Japanese fighters shred-ded the big slow bombers.”
Enemy fighters shot out the windshield, disabled one of its four engines and tore away a major section
of underside of the fuse-lage, but Lt. Murphy did manage to get his crew back to base. His B-24 was only one of six that returned that day from the squadron of 18 planes that took off together.
A crash landingThe younger Murphy
said the actual war was relatively short for his father. Lt. Murphy’s final mission was his 23rd bombing run over Japan on Dec. 7, 1944. His last flight ended in a snow-covered mountain valley in what he would soon dis-cover to be the Japanese-controlled southern section of Sakhalin Island west of Japan.
Crippled by enemy anti-aircraft defenses, Murphy turned his plane north and veered west until the Japanese fighters turned back to base.
“Dad knew there was no way his plane would
survive the long flight back to Alaska,” Kevin repeated from the story he heard numerous times. “His biggest concern was for the men who had been injured, especially one of the gunners who had been shot during the air battle over Japan.”
Murphy took over the controls to guide the crippled bomber toward his last hope, a risky land-ing in uncharted Russian territory. The crash-landing was anything but smooth. The impact shoved Murphy’s leg bone into his hip. His seat belt snapped, breaking bones in his face and upper body.
“But as Dad always said, ’Any landing is not a crash if you can walk away.’”
The crew survived the crash, but ended up be-ing captured by Japanese soldiers within a few hours. The enemy soldiers rendered no first aid but instead locked them in a
shed for the night. Know-ing that they would be executed by the Japanese, Murphy and his crew es-caped in the middle of the night and began their trek north toward the Russian-controlled part of Sakhalin Island, carrying the injured members of the crew in makeshift stretchers.
They hiked all night through the forest in minus 20-degree temperatures toward what they hoped would be Russia. Miracu-lously, they survived, only to be captured by Russian troops who administered first aid, treated them for severe frostbite and trans-ferred the bomber crew to an old-style gulag.
According to the younger Murphy, the Russians were allies with the Americans fighting in Europe, but were neutral in the conflict with Japan. Not knowing what to do with Ameri-cans, the Russian soldiers took the airmen to what
had been forced labor camps for political oppo-nents.
Treated with respectMurphy did remem-
ber that his crew was treated with respect and the injured were taken to the infirmary for medical treatment. The Russians even invited the Americans to join them for dinner.
It was during dinner one night that a member of Murphy’s crew realized they were free to leave the prison. As the war in Europe ended, Murphy and his crew traveled on the Si-berian railroad to Iran and were repatriated in Teh-ran. The crew remained together until they finally made their way to Casa-blanca in Northern Africa, where they were liberated and eventually made their way home.
Richard Murphy re-turned from war to his home in the San Francisco area and was married to Edna Catherina for 55 years. The Murphys had five children together. After decades of suffering and years of bureaucracy, Kevin Murphy said his father finally had his hip replaced in a V.A. hospital in 2004.
Dan Aznoff was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for his cover-age of the toxic waste crisis in California. He is now a freelance writer who makes his home in Bellevue and specializes in cap-turing the stories of past genera-tions. His website is www.dajour-nalist.com.
ContriButed
Lt. Richard Murphy is standing in the back row, second from right in a zipped up leather jacket in this photo taken June 6, 1944, at Great Falls Army Air Base in Montana. Murphy is standing in front of the plane that crashed on Sakhalin Island.
“There were lots of heroes who fought for this country during World War II. Each of them has a story, but they are in the twilight of their years and the stories are falling silent with each passing.”— Kevin MurphySon of WWII veteran Richard Murphy
PilotFrom paGe C1
“There were a lot of good guys. We were all like a family after awhile,” he said.
The squadron’s first mis-sion was a memorable one, sending them to the island of Guam to take out enemy installations. It’s a moment that Ortiz said he will never forget, as he described with youthful exuberance how much the accomplishment of successfully completing the first assignment meant to him.
“It was kind of scary because it was our first actual battle,” he said. “We didn’t know what to expect, but by the time all of us came back, we were pros. We were patting our-selves on the back.”
Close callsDuring his time on the
Lexington, Ortiz earned the moniker “WaterLou” be-cause of his and his pilot’s penchant for repeatedly ending up in the water.
In one of the more memorable instances, Ortiz’s squadron partici-pated in a strike on Chi-chi Jima, a small island that the Japanese relied on for communication purposes.
Ortiz’s plane was hit as it flew against a storm of anti-aircraft fire toward the island. The right wing was damaged along with the rudders, and the pilot was forced to make a land-ing in the water.
When the plane hit the water, Ortiz and Smith emerged from the aircraft and inflated a raft. The two hopped in, with no certainty of where they would float to, or who would find them. Ortiz was sure they would get picked up by an enemy boat, but luckily, they were found a short time later by an ally destroyer ship.
“We were really lucky,”
he said. “It was a beautiful sight to see the destroyer heading right for us.”
Ortiz was injured in the fight, taking some shrapnel to the head, but the wound was superficial and he was quickly sewed up and bandaged. It did earn him a Purple Heart, though.
Nov. 5, 1944
When Ortiz was asked to talk about his experiences in front of his granddaugh-ter’s class, he gave the students a clear message — “War is awful.”
Never was that more true for Ortiz, when on Nov. 5, 1944, his pilot,
Smitty, died. It’s a moment that he rarely talks about because of the emotions that day generates.
The duo was scheduled for an early strike on a nearby island, but engine problems prevented them from going. Just a short time later, the Lexington
was attacked by kamika-zes. Smitty ventured to the carrier’s secondary control tower to get a good view of the action, and the structure was hit, blowing its occupants out into the water.
“If we had gone on that mission, he’d probably be alive,” Ortiz said. “I think of him all the time. He was such a nice guy. I felt when it would happen, it would be both of us at the same time.”
They never were able to recover Smith’s body.
‘Tribute to our guys’After the war, Ortiz
worked for Rockwell In-ternational as a technical artist, illustrating specifi-cations for space shuttle parts and satellites.
In 1992, Ortiz and his wife of 61 years, Terry, moved to Klahanie, so they can be close to their grandchildren.
Memorial Day is an im-portant time for the family. Every year, without fail, Ortiz makes sure to hang his American flag outside for the holiday.
“It really means a lot to
have both of my parents here,” said Stacey Boyd, Ortiz’s daughter. “My kids understand Memorial Day and its purpose because they get firsthand knowl-edge hearing Grandpa’s stories.”
Memorial Day is all about paying “tribute to our guys,” such as Smith, who did not get the chance to come home, Ortiz said.
“Many of the real heroes never came back,” he said. “A lot of people don’t realize that they’re here today, living in democracy, because of those guys. We pay tribute to my friends that didn’t come back. They are all up there look-ing down at us.”
TributeFrom paGe C1
ContriButed
Issaquah resident Lou Ortiz served as an aviation radioman and gunner aboard the USS Lexington, above, during World War II.
ContriButed
Lou Ortiz (right) receives the Distinguished Flying Cross. Ortiz served as an aviation radioman and gunner in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
ContriButed
Lou Ortiz poses with a replica of the plane he flew during World War II.
“Many of the real heroes never came back. A lot of people don’t realize that they’re here today, living in democracy, because of those guys. We pay tribute to my friends that didn’t come back. They are all up there looking down at us.”— Lou OrtizWorld War II veteran
“My kids understand Memorial Day and its purpose because they get firsthand knowledge hearing Grandpa’s stories.”— Stacey BoydLou Ortiz’s daughter