2013 lest we forget

www.issaquahpress.com

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


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


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


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:


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:


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


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:


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:


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:


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:


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


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


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)


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., 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:


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


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


Where served: Aleutian Islands

Details of service: Signal Corps


William BentzHighest rank

achieved: Staff sergeant


Where served: South Pacific, New Guinea Philippines; Fort Lawton, Wash. Dates of service:

1943-1946, 1948-1949

Carl B. Bridges Deceased (at age 70)


Where served: Stationed on the

USS BraineDates of service:

1952-1956

Jim BriodyHighest rank

achieved: Specialist 5 (E-5)


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


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


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:


served in combat in Korea

Jack DompierBorn: Dec. 1, 1946

Highest rank achieved: RM3

Branch of service: Navy


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:


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



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


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


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


Master sergeantBranch of service:


WWII — New Guinea; Korean War — Seoul, Korea


Delbert E. FlemingHighest rank

achieved: Chief petty officerBranch of service:


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


U.S. NavyWhere served: Supply Corps

Dates of service: Three years

Tyler Lenwood Fraker Born: June 11, 1970


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


Where served: Navy Post OfficeDates of service:

1941-1945

Louis Charles GiraldinHighest rank

achieved: Radioman

second classBranch of service:


North Pacific Ocean Dates of service: April 12, 1944 to

Feb. 21, 1946

Wayne GeigerHighest rank achieved: E4


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.


Doris GrossHighest rank

achieved: Link instructor,

involved in American Legion, first woman

vice commander Branch of service:


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


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.


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


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:


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


Where served: Iraq


Roy InuiHighest rank achieved: T5


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



Dates of service: August 1967 to

August 1969Daryl E. Johnson

Born: December 1927

Died: October 2009Highest rank

achieved: Seaman first class


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


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:


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


Yeoman Third Class Branch of service:

U.S. Navy Where served: Japan, Hawaii,

PhilippinesDates of service:

1959-1963

Gene KlineburgerHighest rank

achieved: Corporal


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,


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


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:


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.


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




Robert C. LyonHighest rank

achieved: Lieutenant commander


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 Lenawee

APA 195Dates 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



Where served: Korea – Third Infantry

DivisionDates of service:

1950-1952

Norman W. McLeanDeceased


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)


Mechanics mateBranch of service:

Navy — WAVES Where served:

Cedar Falls, Iowa; Norman, Okla.


Mother of Issaquah Mayor Ava Frisinger

Jeremiah Fraser Pitts MacDougall

Deceased (at age 76)Highest rank

achieved: Lt. junior grade


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


Where served: USS Forrestal CVA-

59, Sixth Fleet (Mediterranean)Dates of service:

1966-1973

John A. MarshDeceased

Highest rank achieved: PrivateBranch of service:


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



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:


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


Details of service: Received the Purple Heart for shrapnel in the leg, Presidential Unit Citation, 2nd Battalion and 9th Marine Division


Leonard MilesBorn: Dec. 16, 1920

Died: 2005 (in Issaquah)Highest rank

achieved: PFC, washman


Where served: Sitka, Alaska

Details of service: Received the Victory

MedalDates of service:

1945 to 1946

Gary C. NewbillHighest rank

achieved: Major


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:


Service included two combat tours in A-6 Intruders in Vietnam


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


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


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:


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:


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


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


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.


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


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:


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


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


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


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:


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

Highest rank achieved: Specialist

4th ClassBranch of service:

ArmyWhere 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)


Elmo Jerome SagedahlHighest rank

achieved: Corporal


Where served: Pacific area

Dates of service: May 26, 1944 to

Aug. 31, 1946

Daniel S. SegonHighest rank

achieved: Private Branch 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



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)



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.


William Britton StrikerBorn: Dec. 12, 1907 Died: Oct. 1, 2003


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


John SwansonDied: 2001


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:


Marshall Islands, USS Midway

Details of service: Received two med-

als; operated landing craft


Hugh Gordon RossNo photo available


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


achieved: CorporalBranch of service:

U.S. NavyDates of service: April 27, 1956 to

Oct. 16, 1959

Frank R. TroutmanDeceased


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)


Tech sergeant Branch of service:

U.S. Army Where served: Europe, Italy, North Africa

Wounded in action: Purple Heart awarded


David S. WaggonerHighest rank

achieved: Lieutenant colonel Branch of service:


Vietnam, Central America, U.S.

Wounded in action: Purple Heart awarded


Dwight Eldon WaggonerBorn: August 23,

1922Died: Oct. 9, 2009


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)


Where served: Korea and Vietnam


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


Where served: Vietnam, three toursDetails of service:

Radio Teletype Task Group operator, Yankee Station


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



Army/Air ForceWhere served: served

in combat in the South Pacific


Details of service: pilot, flew C46

Winston Matthew Yourglich


PhM3c (photographer’s mate third class)


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


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


NavyWhere served:

Pentagon; White House; Kodiak,

Alaska; Long Beach, Calif.; Kansas City,

Mo. (recruiting); Newport, R.I.


Details of service: received a letter of

commendation from the chairman, Joint

Chief of Staff

Jay Anthony VanniHighest rank

achieved: Petty officer third class


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


Where served: served on U.S.S. Grand Canyon AD28, traveled

to Mediterranean countries, England,

Norway, CubaDates of service:

1955-1958


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

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2013 lest we forget