MIA Family Members and their Loved OnesKorean War MIA
Burns Family | 
First Lieutenant Forrest Steel Burns
U.S Army
Date of Birth: February 16, 1922
Home of Record: Columbus, IN
Date Reported Missing: August 30, 1952 |
By
August 1952, the battle line across the middle of the Korean Peninsula had been
well established. Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) made frequent attempts to push
into South Korean territory, especially through the roads directly north of
Seoul, which had been used for prior invasions into the south. The 38th Infantry
Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, of the U.S. Army was positioned on the Main
Line of Resistance against the CCF. In addition to large-scale battles, there
were many clashes involving small patrols from the 38th Infantry attempting to
scout CCF positions. First
Lieutenant Forrest Steele Burns, who joined the U.S. Army from Indiana, was a
member of Company H of the 2nd Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry
Division. On August 30, 1952, he was involved in a patrol in the area north of
Seoul. While attempting to organize his platoon’s positions, he stepped on an
enemy anti-personnel mine, and was killed instantly. The immediate area of his
loss was soon lost to enemy control, and now lies on the North Korean side of
the Demilitarized Zone, preventing searches for his remains. Today, First
Lieutenant Burns is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National
Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. Before
First Lieutenant Burns served in the Korean War, he also served in WWII and was
a POW for four months. Today, the whereabouts of First Lieutenant
Forrest Steele Burns is only known to GOD. Lt. Burns Commendations Included
★ Purple Heart
★ Combat Infantryman Badge
★ Marksmanship Badge
★ Korean Service Medal
★ National Defense Service Medal
★ Republic of Korea Presidential Citation
★ Republic of Korea War Service Medal
★ United Nations Service Medal
★ Army Presidential Unit Citation
★ Army Good Conduct Medal WWII MIA
Bowles Family | 
Seaman First Class Eldridge Wayne Bowles
U.S Navy
Date of Birth: June 12, 1914
Home of Record: Columbus, IN
Date Reported Lost at Sea: July 30, 1945 |
The USS Indianapolis was on a top secret mission to
deliver the Uranium 235 to the island of Tinian. From there, the Enola Gay
dropped the atomic bomb "Little Boy" over the city of Hiroshima.
After Nagasaki was bombed, Japan surrendered. Sadly, and tragically, at 12:14 AM, on July 30, 1945
the USS Indianapolis CA-35 was torpedoed and sank in 12 minutes. 879 men were
killed in action and lost at sea to include Seaman First Class Bowles.Seaman
First Class Bowles reported for duty aboard the USS Indianapolis on October 8,
1943. Eldridge was 31 years old when he was lost sea. Today, the whereabouts of Seaman First Class
Bowles is only known to GOD. Seaman Bowles Commendations Included
★ Purple Heart
★ Combat Infantryman Badge
★ Marksmanship Badge
★ Korean Service Medal
★ National Defense Service Medal
★ Republic of Korea Presidential Citation
★ Republic of Korea War Service Medal
★ United Nations Service Medal
★ Army Presidential Unit Citation
★ Army Good Conduct Medal
Vietnam War MIA
McGarvy Family | 
Lieutenant Colonel James Maurice McGarvey
U.S Marine Corps
Date of Birth: August 21, 1933
Home of Record: Valparaiso, IN
Date reported Missing: April 17, 1967 |
On April
17, 1967, an A-6A Intruder took off in a flight of three on a night strike
mission against targets southeast of Vinh, Nghe An Province, North Vietnam.
After takeoff, this Intruder took the lead position in the flight when the
former flight leader experienced difficulty with its radar and turned back.
During this Intruder's run at the target, the aircraft behind it reported
seeing a bright orange fireball near the target area. No radio contact could be
established afterward, and the crew of the other aircraft presumed it had
crashed and exploded, producing the fireball. Search and rescue operations were
carried out until April 26, but were unsuccessful. The aircraft and its crew
members remain unaccounted for. Major
James Maurice McGarvey entered the U.S. Marine Corps from Indiana and was a
member of Marine All-Weather Attack Squadron 242, Marine Air Group 11, 1st
Marine Air Wing. He was the pilot of this Intruder when it went missing, and he
was lost with the aircraft. His
remains were not recovered. After the incident, the U.S. Marine Corps promoted
Maj McGarvey to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel (LtCol). Today, the whereabouts of Lieutenant Colonel James Maurice
McGarvey is only known to GOD. LTC McGarvey Commendations Included
★ Purple Heart
★ Combat Action Ribbon
★ United States Aviator Badge
★ National Defense Service Medal
★ Vietnam Campaign Medal
★ Vietnam Service Medal
★ Marine Corps Presidential Unit
Citation
★ Vietnam Gallantry Cross
★ Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal
★ Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal
WWII MIA
Utterback Family | 
Seaman First Class Robert Clayton Utterback
Date of Birth: August 20, 1923
Home of Record: Crawfordsville, IN
Date Reported Loat at Sea: March 19, 1945 |
Seaman First Class Robert Clayton “Bobby” Utterback the son
of Clayton John Utterback and Katherine Marie Walden Utterback. He was
the oldest of four children. Seaman First Class Utterback was aboard the USS Franklin (CV13) nicknamed "Big Ben," which was one of 24 Essex-class aircraft carriers built
during World War II for
the United States Navy, and the fifth US Navy ship to bear the
name. Commissioned in January
1944, she served in several campaigns in the Pacific War, earning four battle stars. On March 19, 1945, USS
Franklin was badly damaged by a Japanese air attack near
Honshu Japan. 800 crew members
were lost from the attack to include Seaman
First Class Utterback. The USS Franklin was the most
heavily damaged United States aircraft carrier to survive the war. Seaman First Class Utterback reported for duty aboard the USS Franklin on
January 31, 1944. Robert was 21 years old when he was lost at sea. Today, the whereabouts of Seaman First Class
Robert C. Utterback is only known to GOD. Seaman Utterback Commendations Included
★ World War II 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
Vietnam War MIA
Daughter of Mary
Helen and Commander Michael George Hoff. Mrs. Ogawa is a
member of the National League of Families and her mother, Mary Helen Hoff was
instrumental in the creation of the POW/MIA flag for the League of Families,
which was adopted as the official representation of United States POW/MIAs. | 
Commander Michael George Hoff U.S Navy
Date of Birth: September 11, 1936 Home of Record: La Grange, OR Date Reported Missing: January 7, 1970 |
Commander Hoff was a member of Attack Squadron 86,
Carrier Air Wing 15 aboard the Aircraft Carrier USS CORAL SEA (CVA-43). On
January 7, 1970, he was the pilot of a Vought Attack Aircraft Corsair II (A-7A)
on a combat mission near Sepone, Laos when his aircraft caught fire and
crashed. His remains were not recovered. Commander Hoff Commendations Included
★ Purple Heart
★ Combat Action Ribbon
★ United States Aviator Badge Navy
★ National Defense Service Medal
★ Vietnam Campaign Medal
★ Vietnam Service Medal
★ Navy Presidential Unit Citation
★ Vietnam Gallantry Cross
★ Navy Good Conduct Medal
★ Navy Expeditionary Medal
Suzanne and Mother Helen
POW/MIA StoriesMy Experience in World War II
By Forrest Steele Burns
POW In WWII: December 20th, 1944 – April 16th, 1945
The Grandson of 1st LT Burns and Great Nephew of William “Hurley” Miller took the family letters received by his Grandfather and Great Uncle during their time in war and created a documentary of their experiences while serving in WWII as POWs. 1st LT Burns made it through his experience as a POW and was discharged at Camp Atterbury on August 26th, 1945. Unfortunately, he was called back to service in 1951 for the Korean War and was killed during a reconnaissance mission on August 30th, 1952. To read 1st Lt. Burns story, click on either of the above pictures
Kriegsgefangenen
POW
In WWII
William
Hurley Miller POW from November 13, 1944 to May 8, 1945
To read Miller's story, click on either of the aboove pictures.
Megan McGarvey is still looking for her daddy
The
daughter of Lieutenant Colonel James Maurice McGarvey wrote the below story
about her father and the experiences their family has gone through since he
became missing. Reading the letter will give you an idea of what our MIA
families go through when their loved one becomes missing. We must never forget
the sacrifices and hardships that our MIAs and their families endure for the
price of freedom.
HAVELOCK | Megan McGarvey is still looking for her
daddy.
Daddy
was Maj. James Maurice McGarvey, the executive officer of Marine All Weather
Attack Squadron 242 out of Cherry Point. He was the pilot of an A-6 Intruder
that the McGarvey family believes crashed into a mountainside during a midnight
bombing run against a target in North Vietnam on April 17, 1967.His
remains have never been recovered. It took seven years for the family to get a
presumptive finding of death. Along with it came a posthumous promotion to
lieutenant colonel for the deceased Marine and also a decades-long search for
answers for his family.
The
McGarvey family is one of 1,629 families who are still looking to find their
loved ones who are listed as missing or unaccounted for from the Vietnam War,
according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. Today is National Prisoner
of War/Missing in Action Recognition Day. On Monday, Megan McGarvey took
possession of two of the five boxes of official paperwork her mother has
gathered through the years.
I
didn’t know whether to keep it or not, said the Marine pilot’s widow, Lynda Lee
Evans McGarvey Lee, who has since remarried. I can’t throw any of this away
because it’s all unresolved. We’re not grieving. We’re just trying to hang onto
any thread. We just don’t want him to be forgotten. We don’t obsess over it,
but it is POW/MIA Recognition Day. That and his birthdays are the hardest to get
through.” The McGarvey family has always wanted to find their father’s remains,
bring them home and have a funeral with military honors.
Megan
McGarvey, who now lives in New Bern, was 5 years old at the time her father
went missing, her young mind struggled with the concept. When we moved from
Shore Drive over to Church Road, one of the little things in my mind was, My gosh,
Daddy won’t know where we live when he comes back, she said. Those are things
that the little mind thinks about. Is he going to be able to find us when he
comes back? I used to have dreams of him coming walking up the driveway with
that big old pack on his back, but it never happened.
I
don’t think I would have ever thought those things if he had been killed,
killed in action, but he was missing, missing in action. And to this day, there
have been countless disappointments over the years with the accounting efforts.
In the late 1990s, the family got a letter from Headquarters Marine Corps
saying that they were putting Case 0643, which is the McGarvey case number, in pending
status, meaning pending no further action.
This
was on the basis of interviews they had done with some Vietnamese farmers in
the area who thought
they saw the plane go down in the China Sea. You’re talking about 30 years.
They were probably not the youngest of farmers in 1967, so I can imagine 30
years later they are kind of up there (in age),” McGarvey said. Apparently they
recall seeing a plane go down over the South China Sea and they don’t remember
seeing a parachute.
Megan
McGarvey doesn’t believe the story but rather takes the words of eyewitnesses
from the squadron
that the plane went down over land. The third plane in the mission reported
that he saw the fireball in the sky and as he continued on the mission he saw
the burning wreckage of Daddy’s plane on the back side of the mountain,
McGarvey said. He saw it, yet we have our government saying that they have
these farmers saying that 30-plus years before that they saw a plane go down
over the sea and didn’t see a parachute.
The
McGarveys are frustrated at not being able to get a more complete picture all
these years later. In her pursuit of information on the crash, Lynda McGarvey
Lee went to Washington where she convinced the Marine Corps that what she and
other family members of missing service personnel needed was a liaison to the
government, something she said led to the creation of the position of casualty
assistance officer. If I’m proud of anything, I’m proud of that, Lee said. Still,
answers elude the family. You realize they are looking for him. But you wonder
about the intensity of those efforts, McGarvey said, I do appreciate
everything that the government has done on our behalf.
Do I think that it is enough?
No, I do not. Lee
is convinced that there is still a chance that remains can be found, but the
last contact with a military
official was two years ago and the family’s still waiting. It’s still an issue,
she said. It’s been a long time, but it’s still an issue for many, many
families.
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