Veterans who remain on Foreign Soil
- Roseann Terrill
- Dec 19, 2021
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 27, 2024
1. John Valentine declared dead in 1918, Army, declared dead while missing or lost at sea.
Memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, Bellevue, France. This is an American Battle Monument Commission location. John is buried in the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in Belleau he was in the 18th INF and was from Confluence, Kentucky.
2. Burris Nelson Begley - Died while missing in action. Air Crash on land. Location, North Vietnam, Quang Tri Providence.
He is memorialized at Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery. His name appears on the Vietnam Wall.
Col Begley served during WWII, Korea and Vietnam with the US Air Force.
On December 5, 1966, Major Begley was the pilot of the number four F-105 that departed Korat Air Base, Thailand at 1429 hours on a combat mission over North Vietnam. While proceeding toward the target, the flight was attacked by MIG's. Major Begley radioed that his aircraft had been hit. Pieces of the tail section and the drag parachute were seen coming from his aircraft. Two of the pilots heard Major Begley report he was losing power and altitude, and that he would have to eject. While being chased by a MIG, one of the flight members passed Major Begley's burning aircraft just as it impacted with the ground. His aircraft crashed on a wooded hill approximately 15 miles from Yen Bai. It could not be established if Major Begley was in the aircraft when it crashed. Due to the location, an organized search was not conducted.
Major Begley was declared missing in action. On April 1978 his status was changed to killed in action.
On November 26, 1986 Vietnam repatriated his remains and on April 18, 1996 they were identified.
3. Bert England is buried and memorialized at Plot A Row 32 Grave 3, Epinal American Cemetery, Epinal France.
4. Mark Johnson is buried and memorialized at Plot 1, Row 8 Grave36, Normandy American Cemetery, Colleville-sur-Mer, France.
5. John W. Jones is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Normandy American Cemetery, Colleville-sur-Mer, France. Member of the 3422nd Ordnance Automotive Maintenance Company. Their landing craft was sunk in the English Channel on the way to France, June 9, 1944.
6. Prentis Melton is buried and memorialized at Plot H, Row 3, Grave 7, Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraten, Netherlands.
7. Marcus Napier is buried in Plot C, Row 3, Grave 57, Lorraine American Cemetery, St. Avold, France
8. Leonard Cornett, Is buried in Plot E Row 13 Grave 32 in the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery in Nettuno, Italy
9. Edgar Napier, is memorialized at Tablets of the missing at Honolulu Memorial , Honolulu, Hawaii. This is an American Monuments Commission location, WWll Victory Medal , Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, American Campaign Medal, Navy Presidential Unit Citation, Navy Good Conduct Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, Navy Expeditionary Medal.
10. SSGT William Lee Crawford, (7/11/1923 - 11/8/1942) 6 INF 1 ARMD Division, Bronze Star
Buried in North Africa American Cemetery and Memorial, Carthage, Tunisia
11. SSGT Russell Crawford served as a Staff Sergeant and Gunner on B- 24 J Bomber Squadron 37 on Bomber Group, USAF during WW ll.
B24 J # 44-40540 took off with a crew of 10 from Morotal, North Maluku Province, Indonesia on a bombing mission over Balikpapan Island in Borneo. They were seen going into a heavy weather front that was causing heavy icing on the other B-24s on this mission. After coming out of this front, they were seen going down toward the sea. It is believed the icing caused them to crash. Russell was declared MIA on the mission during the was, and declared dead 2 years later in 1946. He was awarded the Air Medal and a Purple Heart.
12. SGT George Roark is buried in Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in Belleau in Picardie, France.
He Entered military service from Kentucky.
Company F, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Division, A.E.F.
Killed in Action.
2022 he remains Missing In Action.
Roark, George (Sgt.,F)—SSC, Soissons.
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From: C.O. 2nd Bn 23rd Inf.
To : C.O. 23rd Inf.
Subject: Action 2nd Bn 23rd Inf., 18 July 18.
1. I wish to recommend to your attention the conduct of my Bn during the attack on the morning of July 18, 1918.
2. Through unavoidable circumstances this 2nd Bn reached its jumping off place in an exhausted condition. For 35 Hrs. previous they had had no cooked food, and only their reserve rations. For 35 Hrs. previous, they had been on the move by truck and marching with practically no opportunity to rest. The entire night preceding [sic] the attack was spent in marching through hopelessly jammed traffic, through dark woods, and over boggy roads. The last two companies had to run for about fifteen minutes before H hour, and did not reach their position before our barrage began. The men were worn out before they began to fight, but on going into action, changed completely and showed perfect elan.
3. It was necessary to pass through a terrific barrage on jumping off. Though their comrades fell dead and wounded around them, all ranks passed through the barrage in a cool and unconcerned manner.
4. At 6 P.M. a second phase of the attack began. By this time worn out, all ranks again moved to the attack with perfect morale, moving cooly through a steady rain of M.G. bullets.
5. We were the first troops to attack and occupy VIERZY, taking at least 400 prisoners in that town.
6. Outstanding events:
Steadiness under barrage & shell fire.
Repeated occasions of two men capturing machine guns and crews in action.
Charging and capturing 1-lb Cannon in action.
" " " .77 batteries.
" " " .105
" " " Austrian .88 gun.
" " " Anti-aircraft gun.
Perfect Morale of all ranks.
Capture of a Maj. Gen. and his staff by a small group of about 9 privates, most of whom were from 2nd Bn. I am not sure that credit for this capture should go to my Bn.
d'Alary Fechet,
Maj. 23rd Inf.
Comdg. 2nd Bn.
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Seventeen men of Company F, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment were Killed in Action July 18, 1918 near Vierzy, France.
Boston, Harry
Crooker, Albert F.
Duquette, Thomas J.
Federkiewicz, Michael
Iannetta, Euginio
Keonig, Harry A.
Kern, John
Konulis, John
Lamore, Aime
Leber, Charles H.
Meachan, Edmund F.
O'Connel, David T.
Palenskis, Miki
Roark, George
Roback, John P.
Rorabaugh, Allen D.
Thibodeau, Wilfred
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