Ulery, Roy
Levon
Machinist’s
Mate First Class Ulery, United States Navy, from the Elwood and Frankton area in Indiana, was killed October 24, 1944, as he served on the USS Birmingham at Leyte, Philippines
in the South Pacific. His name appears on the "Tablets of the Missing" at the Manila
American Cemetery in the Philippines.
Usealman,
Harold E
Seaman Second
Class Usealman, United States Navy, from Posey County, Indiana,
was lost at sea during World War II as he served on the submarine USS Robalo SS-273. The sub did not return from a patrol
near Palawan in the Philippines. His name
appears on the "Tablets of the Missing" at the Manila American
Cemetery in the Philippines.
Vander
Heyden, Raymond A
PFC
Raymond A Vander Heyden of Mishawaka, Indiana and the United States Army, and the 63rd Field Artillery Battalion, 24th Infantry
Division, was killed May 31, 1945 while serving in the Southwest Pacific during World War II. He is buried in the Manila American
Cemetery in the Philippines.
Vander
Reyden, Roy
Electrician's
Mate Second Class Vander Reyden of Indiana and the United States Navy was presumed killed in action after being missing in
action for over a year. His adjusted date of death is March 23, 1944. Seaman Vander Reyden was serving on the submarine USS
Grampus (SS-207) near New Georgia in the Solomon Islands in the Southwest Pacific. He remains missing or buried at sea
and his name is honored on the Tablets of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
Vilberg,
Charles G.
Corporal
Vilberg, United States Army Air Corps, 823rd Bomber Squadron, 38th Bomber Group, was lost as he was
shot down on his first mission. He was on a B-25 Crew. They went ashore on a life raft on Hainan Island and were captured and beheaded
by the Japanese March 8, 1945. Corporal Vilberg served as a radio operator and gunner on the B-25 in the South Pacific.
Volz, Jack
E.
First Lieutenant
Volz, United States Army Air Corps, 320th Bomber Squadron, 90th Bomber Group Heavy, of Marion County,
Indiana was killed October 28, 1944. He was a pilot of a B-24 “Shack Rat” with a crew of twelve flying a recon
mission out of Port Moresby and seven hours into the mission they were directed to return to
Dobadura due to weather problems at Port Moresby. Fighter
Sector Command was tracking the aircraft in the Huron Bay area when it disappeared off the scope. Search was made but there was no sign of
the aircraft.
Walker, Jack
E.
Radioman
Second Class, Walker, USNR, of Anderson,
Indiana was killed July 30, 1945, while serving on the USS Indianapolis. His
name appears on the "Tablets of the Missing" at the Manila American
Cemetery in the Philippines.
His home was in Anderson, Indiana.
The Indianapolis had
just delivered the world’s first atomic bomb to Tinian to end the war in the Pacific.
The ship then reported to Guam and was directed to join the USS Idaho at Leyte Gulf in the Philippines
to prepare for the invasion of Japan.
Midway between Guam and the Philippines
the ship was hit by two torpedoes, one blew away the ship’s bow and the other struck near midship on the starboard side
adjacent to a fuel tank and a powder magazine. The resulting explosion split the ship to the keel, knocking out all electric
power. Within minutes she went down rapidly by the bow, rolling to starboard. Of the 1,196 aboard, about 900 made it into the water in the twelve minutes before she sank. Few life rafts were released. Most survivors wore
the standard kapok life jacket. Shark attacks began with sunrise of the first day and continued until the men were physically
removed from the water, almost five days later. Shortly
after 11:00 A.M. of the fourth day, the survivors were accidentally discovered by LT. Wilbur C. Gwinn, piloting his PV-1 Ventura
Bomber on routine antisubmarine patrol. Radioing his base at Peleiu, he alerted, "many men in the water". A PBY (seaplane)
under the command of LT. R. Adrian Marks was dispatched to lend assistance and report. Enroute to the scene, Marks overflew
the destroyer USS Cecil Doyle (DD-368), and alerted her captain, of the emergency. The captain of the Doyle,
on his own authority, decided to divert to the scene. Arriving hours ahead of the Doyle, Marks' crew began dropping
rubber rafts and supplies. While so engaged, they observed men being attacked by sharks. Disregarding standing orders not
to land at sea, Marks landed and began taxiing to pick up the stragglers and lone swimmers who were at greatest risk of shark
attack. Learning the men were the crew of the Indianapolis,
he radioed the news, requesting immediate assistance. The Doyle responded
she was enroute. Of the 900 who made it into the water, only 317 remained alive.
Walsh, Patrick H
PVT Walsh,
United States Army, 60th Coast Artillery Regiment from St. Croix, Indiana in Perry
County, was died October 21, 1942, while serving in the South Pacific.
American authorities were notified that Patrick had fought at Bataan and survived the Death March only to die of dysentery
as a prisoner of war at Camp Cabanatuan, Philippines.
He is buried in the Manila American Cemetery, Philippines.
Webber, Arthur
Seaman First Class
Webber was killed in action while serving in the Southwest Pacific on the USS Edsall (DD-219) during World War II. The Edsall
was sunk in the Battle of Java Sea March 1, 1942. Seaman Webber's name is honored on the Tablets of the Missing at Manila
American Cemetery in the Philippines.
Weiss, Victor
John
Seaman First
Class Weiss, USNR, Haubstadt, Indiana, died December 18, 1944,
as the USS Hull was lost in the Philippine Sea due to a typhoon. His name appears on the
"Tablets of the Missing" at the Manila American
Cemetery in the Philippines.
Welch, Charles
O
Corporal
Welch of Connersville, Indiana and the United States Army Air Corps was killed June 14, 1944 while serving in the Southwest
Pacific during WWII. His plane was lost some time after it departed Chabua, Indiana. It is assumed the plane crashed into
the Bay of Bengal or one of the deep rivers. His name appears on the "Tablets of the Missing" at the Manila
American Cemetery in the Philippines.
Wilcox, Jasper
W
Private First
Class Wilcox was killed in action 17 August 1945 while serving with the 1st Infantry Regiment, 6th Army Division in the Philippines
during World War II. It is uncertain how Pfc Wilcox died but it is known the Sixth was doing mop-up work in the Cagayan Valley
and the Cordilleras Mountains at the time of his death. His name is honored on the Tablets of the Missing at Manila American
Cemetery in the Philippines.
Wildridge,
Marion J
Technician
5th Class Wildridge of Montgomery, Indiana in Daviess County and the United States Army, 583rd Signal Air Warning Battalion,
was killed May 19, 1944. He was serving in the Southwest Pacific during World War II. He is buried in the Manila American
Cemetery in the Philippines.
Wilson, Earl V
Machinist's Mate First Class Earl V Wilson of Flora in Carroll County was executed
at Palawan Barracks in the Philippines during World War II. He escaped POW camp July 4, 1943 but was caught and beaten. Several
days later he and another escapee were removed and executed. His name is honored on the Tablets of the Missing at Manila American
Cemetery.
Wilson, Jack
E
Pfc Wilson
of Sullivan County and the United States Army Air Corps, 189th Engineer Battalion, Aviation, was killed January 12, 1945 while
serving in the Southwest Pacific during World War II. His status remains Missing in Action. His name is honored on the Tablets
of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
Wilson, Marvin
Fireman First
Class Wilson, United States Navy Reserve, of Vevay, Indiana
served on the USS Cooper (DD-695) in the South Pacific. The destroyer Cooper was sunk December 3, 1944, at Ormoc Bay, Leyte,
Philippines with a crew of 191 killed or lost at sea. His name
is honored on the “Tablets of the Missing” at Manila American Cemetery,
Philippines.
Wolfe, Glendon
R.
Seaman Second
Class, Wolfe, United States Navy, Kokomo, Indiana, served aboard the USS
Houston (CA-30), killed in action on March 1, 1942, in the Battle of Sunda Strait. His name appears on the "Tablets of the
Missing" at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
Wyatt, Rufus
H
Private Rufus
H Wyatt of Metamora, Indiana in Franklin County and the United States Army Air Corps, enlisted September 18, 1940 at Fort
Benjamin Harrison in Indianapolis. His unit was Headquarters, 27th Bomber Group Light. He was a native of Kentucky. Private
Wyatt was a prisoner of war and lost his life as he was on the Japanese hellship, Arisan Maru thay was torpedoed by the USS
Snook October 24, 1944. His name is honored on the Tablets of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
Young, Harold
W of Ft Wayne and the US Navy died while serving on the USS Hornet CV-8 in the Southwest Pacific in World War II. He was killed
in action October 26, 1942 during the Battle of Santa Cruz and is missing in action. His name is honored on the Tablets of
the Missing - Manila American Cemetery, Philippines.
Zimmerman,
Sammy R.
Seaman
Second Class Zimmerman of the United States Navy Reserve, from Princeton, Indiana in Gobson Co died August 10, 1943
while serving in the Southwest Pacific during World War II. He remains missing in action or buried at sea and his name is
honored on the "Tablets of the Missing" at Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
