Memorial Day: Remembering their sacrifices

About 30 islanders were killed in action or died of other causes in World War I, known at the time as the Great War; World War II, the Korean War and the Iraq War. Five islanders were taken prisoner of war between 1942 and 1944.

San Juan Island’s Valley and Catholic cemeteries are the final resting places of some 291 military veterans.

Following is a list of San Juan County residents, full-time or part-time, who died, were declared missing, or were prisoners of war in the above-named conflicts:

GREAT WAR (WORLD WAR I)

DEATHS

George Dewey Allain. Fireman Second Class, U.S. Navy. Died Oct. 1, 1918, University of Washington.

Walter E. Heidenreich. Radio Service, U.S. Army. Died Oct. 8, 1918, U.S. Training Camp, Seattle.

Fred Ellery Hackett. Private, Radio Service, U.S. Army. Killed May 1, 1918, Montdidier, France.

John Morris Jones. Private, U.S. Army. Shot in Meuse-Argonne, France; died June 6, 1919, from effects of wound, Camp Lewis, Wash.

Budd Curtis Larson. Private 1st Class, U.S. Army. Killed Oct. 11, 1918, Gesnes, France.

Charles Lawson. Private, U.S. Army. Gassed in Meuse-Argonne, France; died Nov. 5, 1918 in Nantes, France.

Fred Martin. Private 1st Class, U.S. Army. Killed Oct. 2, 1918, in Argonne, France.

Voyle B. Martin. Private 1st Class, U.S. Army. Killed Sept. 28, 1918, Argonne Forest.

Harold Butterworth. Fireman First Class, U.S. Navy. Died of pneumonia, Naval Hospital, Brooklyn, N.Y.

WORLD WAR II

DEATHS

Vincent H. Moore. Merchant Marine. Lost at sea March 1942 when his vessel was torpedoed.

Theodore S. Berry. Chief Water Tender, U.S. Navy. Killed May 6, 1942, Manila, Philippines.

Ervin Clair Pease. Private, U.S. Army. Killed Jan. 22, 1943, New Guinea.

Richard B. White. Corporal, U.S. Marine Corps. Killed in action in Pacific Theater (reported Feb. 18, 1943).

Roy Mason. U.S. Army. Killed in action in fall 1943.

Harry C. Scribner. Radioman First Class, U.S. Navy. Died Aug. 22, 1943, South Pacific.

Walter (Bud) Sutherland Jr. U.S. Marine. Killed Nov. 20, 1943, Tarawa.

Hugh R. Ashby. Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Force (pilot). Killed in plane crash, Jan. 3, 1944, Wendover Field, Utah.

Jack Strahl Conner. Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Force (B-24 pilot). Killed May 22, 1944, South Pacific.

Frank R. Moran. Lieutenant, U.S. Army. Killed in action in France, June 12, 1944.

Donald W. Gratz. Corporal, U.S. Marine Corps. Killed in South Pacific (reported August 1944).

Pat L. Montgomery. Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Corps. Killed Sept. 6, 1944 when his P-39 fighter plane crashed near Victorville, Calif.

Woodrow Andrus. U.S. Army. Killed in action during Battle of Bulge. Death reported Nov. 30, 1944.

Clyde F. Curry. Captain, U.S. Army. Killed Feb. 1, 1945, Luzon, Philippines.

Raymond John Pinneo. Seaman Second Class, U.S. Navy. Killed in action Feb. 21, 1945.

Harold Kjargaard. U.S. Army. Killed in Japan (reported Jan. 31, 1946).

MISSING

William Lodik. Watertender First Class, U.S. Navy. Reported missing June 6, 1942 in Manila, Philippines.

Allen Nelson Hoey. Seaman First Class, U.S. Navy (reported April 23, 1942).

PRISONERS OF WAR

Robert V. (Bill) Bowler. Major, U.S. Army. Taken prisoner by Japanese troops not far from Manila (reported Nov. 5, 1942).

Louis J. Bowler. Colonel, U.S. Army. Taken prisoner by Japanese troops, Taiwan (reported Feb. 4, 1943).

Warren Kirk. Sergeant, U.S. Army. Taken prisoner April 9, 1942 by Japanese troops in Luzon, Philippines. Returned home April 7, 1945.

Jimmie Hastin. Lieutenant, U.S. Army (P-51 pilot). Taken prisoner June 8, 1944 by German troops in France. Returned home June 4, 1945.

Gerald Mann. Lieutenant, U.S. Army. Taken prisoner by German troops. Returned home June 1945.

KOREAN WAR

DEATHS

Ralph Edward Mason. Machine gunner, U.S. Army. Killed in action Sept. 5, 1950, in Korea.

Robert K. Mackey. Lieutenant, U.S. Army. Killed April 16, 1953 in Korea.

Lawrence Larsen. Private 1st Class, U.S. Army. Killed in Korea (reported January 1954).

IRAQ WAR

DEATHS

Michael E. Bitz. Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps. Killed March 23, 2003, An Nasiriyah, Iraq.

Cody S. Calavan. Private 1st Class, U.S. Marine Corps. Killed in Iraq sometime between May 29-31, 2004, in Iraq.

— Compiled by Tony Surina, historian for The Journal and American Legion Post 163.

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