Private Flower Rich

747th Anti Aircraft Artillery, Automatic Weapons Battalion

Hometown: Bradford

Died of Injuries: May 16, 1945

Buried: St. Bernards Cemetery, Bradford

Injured while on maneuvers at Camp Irwin, CA

Private First Class Dean J. Riggs

Company E, 101st Infantry Regiment, 26th Infantry Division

Hometown: Custer City

Killed in action 17 November 1944, France
Age: 21

Buried: Plot J, Row 17, Grave 29
Lorraine American Cemetery, St. Avold, France

Corporal Hugh F. Rinfrette

Company L, 60th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division

Hometown: Bradford

Killed in action 17 April 1945, Germany
Age: 32

Buried: Plot D, Row 8, Grave 32
Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraten, Netherlands

Private Albert R. Roberts

36th Armored Infantry Battalion, 3rd Armored Division

Hometown: Eldred

Killed in action 18 April 1945, Germany

Buried: Plot B, Row 20, Grave 14
Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraten, Netherlands

Flight Officer David A. Robinson

854th Bomber Squadron, 491st Bomber Group, Heavy

Hometown: Bradford

Died in a plane crash 19 February 1945, England
Age: 20

Buried: Section 14, Site 32,
Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA
Repatriated: 22 July 1948

Robinson was a passenger on a B-24 heading from North Pickenham Base to Base Air Depot 1 at Burtonwood. At 16:25 hrs, the aircraft slammed tail first and at full power into Black Hameldon, a large hill near Burnley, Lancashire. The fuselage broke in two, killing half of the crew instantly and several others died later from their wounds. Only three survived the crash.

Private First Class Darl T. Robinson

13th Infantry Regiment, 8th Infantry Division

Hometown: Kane

Killed in action 30 August 1944, France

Buried: Plot K, Row 5, Grave 18
Brittany American Cemetery, St. James, France

Corporal Frank A. Rossman

180th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division

Hometown: Kane

Killed in action 25 July 1943, Italy
Age: 25

Buried: Plot A, Row 10, Grave 23
Sicily-Rome American Cemetery, Nettuno, Italy

Private First Class Vernie W. Rounsville

175th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division

Hometown: Smethport

Killed in action 29 August 1944, France
Age: 29

Buried: Plot L, Row 6, Grave 16
Brittany American Cemetery, St. James, France

Sergeant Richard E. Royer

3rd Training Squadron, Gunnery School,
Harlingen Army Air Field, TX

Hometown: Kane

Missing in Action: October 13, 1943
Age: 20

Aircraft crashed into Gulf of Mexico with all the crew remains not recovered.

Private Frank E. Sailer

Company C, 630th Tank Destroyer Battalion

Hometown: Kane

Died 8 July 1942

Buried: McKean Memorial Park, Lafayette Twp

Aircraft crashed in a storm near Smith Army Air Field, NC

First Lieutenant George B. Schoonmaker

Pilot, 1252nd Air Force Base Unit

Hometown: Smethport

Died in a plane crash 8 November 1945
Gitzenbergen, Germany
Age: 36

Buried: Plot N, Row 4, Grave 14
Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraten, Netherlands

Corporal Robert J. Sebring

4th Marine Division

Hometown: Farmers Valley

Killed in action June 19, 1944, Saipan
Age: 20

Buried: Fairview Cemetery, Erie County, PA

Corporal Robert J. Sebring received the Silver Star for gallantry on Saipan. Marine Cpl. Robert Sebring clearly understoof the immense value of the Navajo Code Talkers. . . . he apparently needed not a single second to think about it.... he simply stood up and took the bullet aimed at the Code Talker Marine Sgt. Allan Dale June.
Sgt. June never forgot his sacrifice and spoke of it his entire life, belonging to the Community of Prescott, AZ until his death in 2010.

Torpedomans Mate 2/c William Seibert

USS S-26 (SS-131) Submarine

Hometown: Duke Center

Missing in action 27 January 1942, Gulf of Panama
Age: 21

Tablets of the Missing, West Coast Memorial, Presidio, CA

Seibert served aboard the submarine USS S-26. After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, the S-26 departed her Connecticut submarine base on 10 December 1941 and steamed to the Gulf of Panama. The submarine arrived at the Navy base at Coco Solo, Panama Canal Zone, on 19 December 1941 and commenced conducting war patrols near the approaches to the Panama Canal. On 24 January 1942, the S-26 left Balboa, Panama, on her second war patrol in the Gulf of Panama. Other submarines accompanied her, including the S-21, S-29 and S-44. The submarines were being escorted by the Navy patrol craft USS PC-460.

At 22:10, PC-460 sent a message by flashing code light to the submarines cruising on the surface confirming that she was about to leave the group. Apparently, the S-21 was the only submarine to notice and receive the message. At 22:23, after turning to leave the formation, the escort vessel collided in the darkness with S-26, hitting the starboard side of the torpedo room. The submarine sank immediately, taking forty-six crewmembers down with her.

The only survivors were the Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Commander Earl C. Hawk, Executive Officer Robert E. M. Ward and one enlisted man as they were all on the bridge at the time of collision. Another enlisted man on the bridge went down with the submarine. Three other crew members survived as they were in the base hospital at the time of S-26's departure. Salvage operations were started almost immediately but S-26 had sunk too deep. Rescue of the men and salvage of the hull was not possible.

Hospital Apprentice 1/c James C. Shall

4th Marines, Sixth Marine Division

Hometown: Burning Well, Kane

Killed in action 23 May 1945, Japanese sniper on Okinawa
Age: 19

Buried: McKean Memorial Park, Lafayette Twp
Repatriated: 11 March 1949

Sergeant John J. Sherman

545th Bomber Squadron, 384th Bomber Group, Heavy

Hometown: Duke Center

Killed in action 30 November 1944, Over Zeitz, Germany
Age: 19

Buried: Section F, Site 4062
Woodlawn National Cemetery, Elmira, NY

Sherman completed 16 missions over Germany

First Lieutenant James J. Shevak

67th Fighter Squadron, 347th Fighter Group

Hometown: Port Allegany

Missing in action 12 September 1944, over Pacific
Age: 28

Tablets of the Missing, Manila American Cemetery, Philippines

Private First Class Friend E. Shonts

Company B, 702nd Tank Destroyer Battalion

Hometown: Cyclone

Died of wounds 23 November 1944, Germany
Age: 29

Buried: McKean Memorial Park, Lafayette Twp
Repatriated: 18 August 1948

Shonts was awarded the Silver Star posthumously for gallantry in action on October 4, 1944 in Germany. A gunner on a M-10 tank destroyer, Shonts was ordered into action against an approaching German panzer in the streets of a German town before them. The enemy tank, which had not been accurately located, had already repelled two attacks by American tanks. Knowing that their tank would be destroyed if they could not detect and destroy the enemy tank within a few seconds after entering the streets, PFC Shonts and the rest of the crew unhesitatingly advanced forward. The enemy tank opened fire at close range but missed with the first round. Shonts’ tank destroyer remained in place and fired twice in rapid succession. Almost immediately their M-10 was hit twice and burst into flames. Two of the crew were killed instantly and the remaining three were injured.

Private First Class Charles J. Siffrinn

339th Infantry Regiment, 85th Infantry Division

Hometown: Bradford

Killed in action 12 April 1944, near Minturno, Italy
Age: 21

Buried: Plot H, Row 3, Grave 50
Sicily-Rome American Cemetery, Nettuno, Italy

Flight Officer Harold E. Smathers

Navigator,
836th Bomber Squadron, 487th Bomber Group, Heavy

Hometown: Bells Camp Road, Derrick City

Missing in action 31 December 1944
B-17 Crashed into North Sea

Tablets of the Missing
Cambridge American Cemetery, England

Second Lieutenant Thomas V. Smith

100th Bomber Squadron, 42nd Bomber Group, Medium

Hometown: Bradford

Missing in action 8 April 1945, over Palawan, Philippines
Age: 27

Tablets of the Missing, Manila American Cemetery, Philippines

Sergeant Leland L. Snyder

5th JASCO (Joint Assault Signal Company), 5th Marine Division

Hometown: Bradford (also Olean, NY)

Killed in action 19 February 1945, Iwo Jima
Age: 24

Buried: Limestone Cemetery, Limestone, NY

Radioman 2/Class Paul P. Spaseff

PT-353, Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 25

Hometown: Kane

Killed in action 27 March 1944, Bangula Bay, New Brittain
Age: 21

Buried: St. Callistus Cemetery, Kane
Repatriated: 13 July 1948

Spaseff was killed by friendly fire. Four P-40 aircraft of the 78th Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force attacked PT-121 and PT-353 mistaking them for Japanese gun boats. Eight sailors were killed and 12 wounded.

Sergeant Howard E. Sprague

28th Squadron, 19th Bomber Group, 314th Bomber Wing, Very Heavy

Hometown: Bradford

Killed in action 24 April 1945
Age: 20

Buried: Section 82, Site 4-5
Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, St. Louis, MO
Repatriated: 16 August 1949

Sprague was a radio operator on a B-29 on mission to Hitachi aircraft plant at Tachikawa. The B-29 was hit by flak and crashed near Terao, Kawagoe. Sprague and five others were killed in the crash. Five others parachuted and were taken prisoner. All five of these men were later killed when they burned to death at the Tokyo Military Prison fire on May 25, 1945. The fire storm was started by the American incendiary bombing raid on Tokyo.

Private First Class Ray W. Stillman

43rd Tank Battalion, 12th Armored Division

Hometown: Bradford

Killed in action 9 April 1945, Germany
Age: 23

Buried: Plot D, Row 3, Grave 25
Lorraine American Cemetery, St. Avold, France

Tech Sergeant Harry L. Stokes

323rd Bomber Squadron, 91st Bomber Group, Heavy

Hometown: Gifford

Missing in action 27 September 1943, over Emden, Germany
Age: 22

Tablets of the Missing, Netherlands American Cemetery,
Margraten, Netherlands

Stokes was on the B-17 Rebel’s Revenge

Private First Class Robert G. Stolt

9th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division

Hometown: Bradford

Killed in action 25 February 1945, Iwo Jima
Age: 24

Buried: Plot C, Site 1591
Honolulu Memorial, Hawaii

Aviation Ordnance 3/c Lee E. Stull

USS Intrepid

Hometown: Eldred

Killed in action 16 April 1945, Japanese Kamikaze attack
Age: 29

Buried at Sea
Tablets of Missing, Honolulu Memorial, Hawaii