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William Francis Gaudette, aged 85 years, lifelong resident of Middleboro, died on Sun. August 14, 2011, at Nemasket Health Care Center, Middleboro, after a lengthy illness. He was the husband of the late Isabelle (Koczera) Gaudette, who predeceased him on August 6, 2001; they had been married for 52 years. He was the son of the late George P and Ellen J (Carlson) Gaudette. He was a 1944 graduate of Middleboro Memorial High School . He served in the United States Navy, during WWII, stationed on the U.S.S. Saint Mary’s. He was a retired Sergeant Major with the United States National Guard. He retired from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Corrections. He was a member of Sacred Heart Church , Middleboro. He was a life member of the Middleborough Lodge of Elks #1274, and the John J Glass Post V.F.W. #2188, Middleboro. He was also a member of the Mitchell Memorial Club. He was an avid outdoorsman, enjoying hunting, fishing, and vacationing in Lincoln , ME. Survivors include two sons, William M and his wife Shirley Gaudette of Davenport, FL, Thomas E and his wife Shawn Gaudette of Middleboro, two sisters, Hannah Clayton of TX, Regina Gaudette of Lakeville, two grandchildren, Jennifer Foster of Hudson, Andrew Gaudette of Davenport, FL, one great-granddaughter, Piper Rose Foster, several nieces and nephews. He was brother of the late George P Gaudette Jr. and Irene (Gaudette) Ellis. Visiting hours will be held in the Ashley Funeral Home, 35 Oak St. Middleboro, on Tues. Aug. 23rd from 4-7 pm. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held in Sacred Heart Church , 340 Centre St Middleboro, on Wed. Aug. 24th at 10 am. Burial with Military Honors will take place at the Massachusetts National Cemetery , Bourne on Wed. at 12:30 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory to: The Nemasket Health Care Facility Sunshine Fund, c/o Sharon Goslin, 314 Marion Rd. Middleboro , MA 02346 , which would be appreciated.
By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class (SW) Abraham Essenmacher, Office of the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
( BARNSTABLE ) ARMY VETERAN
Jason Frederick Bryant, aged 29 years, of West Yarmouth , formerly of Middleboro, died accidentally on Tues. June 7, 2011. Born in Brockton , he was the son of John H and Brenda Jean (Sisson) Bryant of West Yarmouth. Jason was a graduate of Bristol Plymouth Regional High School , class of 1999, and majored in carpentry. He served in the United States Army in 2004, serving with the First Battalion 19th Infantry, out of Fort Benning , GA , and was honorably discharged. He had worked for Brian W Shanahan Construction, for a few years. Jason enjoyed dirt bikes, was an avid animal and nature lover. He will be warmheartedly remembered as a devoted son, brother, nephew, and as someone who had the heart of a soldier. Survivors include both his parents, John and Brenda of West Yarmouth, one sister; Julie B Bryant of Yarmouth, one brother; James H and his wife Wonda Bryant of Sandwich, many aunts, uncles, and extended family.
MAJ (Ret) George W. Petrie, Jr. - SOA
MAJ (Ret) George W. Petrie, Jr. passed away Friday April 15, 2011 at his home in Greenville, TX. He was a Distinguished Member of the Special Forces Regiment Inducted 13 January 2010. Major George Petrie entered the U.S. Army as a Private on June 22, 1958. After attending Basic and Advanced Infantry Combat Training, he was assigned to Fort Bragg, North Carolina for Basic Airborne Training, becoming a proud member of the 3 19th Airborne Field Artillery, 82nd Airborne Division. In 1962, Major Petrie graduated from the Special Forces Communications Course as Honor Graduate and was assigned to the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) as an A-Team Senior Radio Supervisor. When 8th Special Group (Airborne) was stood up at Fort Gulick, Panama Canal Zone, Major Petrie transferred to the new unit. While there, over the next three years, he attended Scuba and Underwater Demolitions School and Spanish Language School . In 1967 Major Petrie returned to 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), in the Republic of Vietnam as a Team Sergeant and Company Commander of a mobile guerrilla force. The next year, Major Petrie returned to Fort Bragg, assigned first to 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), and later 6th Special Forces Group (Airborne). During this time, he graduated the Special Forces Operations and Intelligence Course as Distinguished Honor Graduate and also completed the Special Forces Intelligence Analyst Course. In 1970, Major Petrie received a Direct Commission to First Lieutenant. After completing the Infantry Officers Basic Course at Fort Benning, Georgia, he was chosen as part of Operation Ivory Coast, the mission to rescue Americans held prisoners in the Son Tay prison camp. Major Petrie, part of the Assault Team "Blue Boy," was the first raider to hit the ground during the assault on the camp. Major Petrie returned to the Republic of Vietnam in 1971, ultimately becoming Company Commander of Company A, 1st Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) known as the "George Dickel Gang." He returned stateside for the Infantry Officers Advanced Course where he was the Honor Graduate. His next assignment was with the Joint Casualty Resolution Center in Thailand. He then served in Saigon, first as an Operations Officer, Field Investigator, Corps Desk Officer; and finally as an Action Officer in the U.S. Embassy Defense Attache Office, serving as a member of the Special Planning Group for the Evacuation of Saigon. Between 1975 and 1976, Major Petrie was assigned to the 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii. Between 1976 and 1980, remaining in Hawaii, he was again assigned to the Joint Casualty Resolution Center with additional duty as the Special Operations Division Escape and Evasion Officer, U.S. Pacific Command, a post he would also hold in Korea before retiring from Active Duty on May 31, 1980.
Among his numerous decorations he was awarded the Silver Star w/olc, bronze star w/'V' device, ARCOM w/'V' Device, Purple Heart w/olc, Legion of Merit and Meritorious Service Medal. He had the Master Parachutist wings w/Bronze Combat Star, CIB, Scuba, Pathfinder, Jungle Warfighter badges and Special Forces tab. George was also awarded the Gold Order of Saint Philip Neri.
George served as President of the Special Forces Assn. Chapt. XXXI for 19+ years.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn.– March 1, 2011 – Fra nk Woodruff Buckles, 110, the last known living American veteran of Wor ld War I who later worked for White Star Line shipping company to satis fy a desire for adventure, died last weekend of natural causes at his h ome in Charles Town, W.Va..
A total of 4,734,991 Americans served in the military during World W ar I. "I always knew I'd be one of the last because I was one of the youngest when I joined," Mr. Buckles, then 107, t old the New York Daily News. "But I never thought I'd be the last one." Buckles entered the Army at the age of 16 in A pril 1917.
Initially stationed in England, where he drove dignitaries around, h e successfully hounded his officers for an assignment in France. He n ever got close to the action. But, as he told columnist George F. W ill in 2008, "I saw the results." When the war ended, he remained in Europe to help escort prisoners of war back to Germany.
After returning home a corporal, he attended business school in Okla homa City for several months and, among other jobs, worked for a bank. But he grew bored. He said he wanted adventure, so he got a job with the White Star Line shipping company and traveled the world. He was in Manila when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.< /p>
White Star Line was a prominent British shipping company, today most known for its famous luxury vessel, the RMS Titanic, and the World War I loss of her sister ship, Britannic. In 1934 the line merged with its chief rival, Cunard Line, which operated as a sepa rate entity until 2005 and is now part of Carnival Corporation & PL C. As a lasting reminder of the White Star Line, modern Cunard ships use the term “White Star Service” to describe the imp eccable level of customer care expected of the company.
After returning home, Buckles married Audrey Mayo, whom he had met i n California before the war. In 1954, they moved to a 330-acre West V irginia cattle farm. "I had been bouncing around from one place to another for years at sea," he said in 2007. "It was time to settle down."
He told The Philadelphia Inquirer that he always knew he'd live a long life: His father died at 97, a sister at 104.
Mr. Buckles' wife died in 1999. He continued to live on his farm and reportedly drove a car and a tractor until he was 102. He is survived by his daughter, Susannah Buckles Flanagan.
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced today that the remains of a serviceman, missing in action from the Korean War, have been identified and are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Army Cpl. Primo C. Carnabuci of Old Saybrook, Conn., will be buried May 12 in his hometown. On Nov. 1, 1950, Carnabuci’s unit, the 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, occupied a defensive position along the Kuryong River, near Unsan, North Korea. Chinese units attacked the area and forced a withdrawal. Almost 600 men, including Carnabuci, were reported missing or killed in action following the battle.
In 2000, a joint U.S-Democratic People’s Republic of Korea team, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), excavated a mass grave discovered earlier in Unsan County, south of the area known as “Camel’s Head.” The team recovered remains of at least five individuals as well as military clothing.
Analysts from DPMO and JPAC developed case leads with information spanning more than 58 years. They evaluated the circumstances surrounding the soldier’s death and researched wartime documentation on the movements of U.S. and enemy forces on the battlefield.
Among forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC used dental comparisons and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used mitochondrial DNA -- which matched that of Carnabuci’s brother -- in the identification.
With this identification, 7,997 service members still remain missing from the conflict.
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a serviceman, missing in action from the Korean War, has been identified and returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Air Force 1st Lt. Robert F. Dees, 23, of Moultrie, Ga., will be buried Jan. 22 at the Longstreet Historical Cemetery in Ozark, Ala. On Oct. 9, 1952, he was flying an F-84 Thunderjet, attacking several targets in North Korea. After he and three aircraft from the 430th Fighter-Bomber Squadron completed their attack on their primary target, they began their bombing run against enemy boxcars on the railroad near Sinyang. Other members of his flight reported seeing an explosion near the target they were attacking. They believed it to be the crash of Dees’ aircraft and could not raise any radio contact with him. Airborne searches over the battlefield failed to locate him or his aircraft.
Following the armistice in 1953, the North Koreans repatriated 4,219 remains of U.S. and allied soldiers during Operation Glory. In November 1954, they turned over remains which they reported were recovered from Sinyang. Accompanying the remains were portions of a pilot’s flight suit and a pneumatic life preserver. But after two attempts, the Army’s mortuary at Kokura, Japan, was unable to identify the remains. They were buried in 1956 as “unknown” at the Punch Bowl Cemetery in Hawaii.
Beginning in the late 1990s, analysts from DPMO and the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) undertook a concentrated review of Korean War air losses, as well as a review of the Kokura mortuary files. They made a tentative association to Dees, based on U.S. wartime records as well as the information provided by the North Koreans. These remains were disinterred from the Punch Bowl Cemetery in June 2010.
Dees’ remains were identified by making extensive dental comparisons with his medical records.
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a serviceman, missing in action from World War II, have been identified and are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Pfc. Robert B. Bayne, of Dundalk, Md., will be buried on May 7 in his hometown. On March 28, 1945, while patrolling the Rhine River in an inflatable raft, Bayne, a lieutenant and two other enlisted men were attacked near Schwegenheim, Germany. Bayne and the officer were wounded, forcing all four men into the swift waters of the river. The lieutenant was rescued but the enlisted men were not found.
Between 1945 and 1946, Army Graves Registration personnel exhumed remains of three men from two different locations when German citizens reported the graves contained remains of American soldiers recovered from the river in March 1945. Among items found with the remains were military identification tags. Two of the men were identified as enlisted men from the raft -- Pvt. Edward Kulback and Pfc. William Gaffney -- but due to limited forensic science of the time, the remains of the other individual could not be identified and were interred at the U.S. Military Cemetery in St. Avold, France as “unknown.”
In 1948, the remains of the unknown soldier were exhumed to compare them to available records for Bayne. After several years of analysis the remains could not be identified and were reinterred as unknown at the Rhone American Cemetery and Memorial in Draguignan, France, in 1951.
More than 60 years later, analysts from DPMO and the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) developed case leads, evaluated records and determined that modern forensic technology could offer methods to identify the remains. In 2010, the remains were exhumed once again for analysis.
Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC used dental comparisons and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used mitochondrial DNA -- which matched that of Bayne’s brothers -- in the identification of his remains.
At the end of the war, the U.S. government was unable to recover and identify approximately 79,000 Americans. Today, more than 74,000 are unaccounted-for from the conflict.
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of two U.S. servicemen, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and will be returned to their families for burial with full military honors.
U.S. Army 1st Lt. Paul G. Magers of Sidney, Neb., will be buried on Aug. 27 in Laurel, Mont., and Army Chief Warrant Officer Donald L. Wann of Shawnee, Okla., will be buried on Aug. 21 in Fort Gibson, Okla.
On June 1, 1971, both men were flying aboard an AH-1 Cobra gunship in support of an emergency extraction of an Army ranger team in Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam. After the rangers were extracted, helicopters were ordered to destroy claymore mines which had been left behind in the landing zone. During this mission their helicopter was hit by ground fire, crashed and exploded. Pilots who witnessed the explosions concluded that no one could have survived the crash and explosions. Enemy activity in the area precluded a ground search.
In 1990, analysts from DPMO, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) and their predecessor organizations interviewed both American and Vietnamese witnesses and produced leads for field investigations. In 1993 and 1998, two U.S.-Socialist Republic of Vietnam teams, led by JPAC, surveyed the suspected crash site and found artifacts and debris consistent with a Cobra gunship. In mid-1999, another joint team excavated the site, but it stopped for safety reasons when the weather deteriorated. No remains were recovered, but the team did find wreckage associated with the specific crash they were investigating.
The Vietnamese government subsequently declared the region within Quang Tri Province where the aircraft crashed as off-limits to U.S. personnel, citing national security concerns. As part of an agreement with JPAC, a Vietnamese team unilaterally excavated the site and recovered human remains and other artifacts in 2008. The Vietnamese returned to the site in 2009, expanded the excavation area and discovered more remains and additional evidence.
Forensic analysis, circumstantial evidence and the mitochondrial DNA match to the Magers and Wann families by the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory confirmed the identification of the remains.
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from World War II, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
He is Sgt. John P. Bonnassiolle, U.S. Army, of Oakland, Calif. He will be buried Tuesday in San Francisco.
On April 29, 1944, he was aboard a B-24J Liberator with nine other crewmen. They failed to return following a bombing mission over Berlin. German documents captured after the war established the aircraft had crashed near the town of East Meitze, Germany, north of Hannover. German forces removed the remains of three crewmen from the site and buried them in a cemetery in Hannover.
In 1946, The U.S. Army’s Graves Registration Command located the remains of the men buried in Hannover and reburied them at the U.S. Military Cemetery at Neuville-en-Condroz, Belgium, after confirming the identities of two of the three.
In 2003, a German citizen began excavating the East Meitze crash site and turned over human remains to U.S. officials. A Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command team traveled to excavate the crash site in 2005 and 2007, recovering additional remains and crew-related equipment -- including identification tags for Bonnassiolle and three other crew members.
Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used mitochondrial DNA -- which matched that of Bonnassiolle’s sister -- in the identification of his remains.
More than 400,000 of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II died. At the end of the war, the U.S. government was unable to recover, identify and bury approximately 79,000 as known persons. Today, more than 72,000 Americans remain unaccounted-for from the conflict.
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Korean War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
He is Cpl. Roy Stewart, U.S. Army, of Jackson, Miss. His funeral will be held Tuesday at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C. Representatives from the Army’s mortuary office met with the next-of-kin of Stewart to explain the recovery and identification process and to coordinate interment with military honors on behalf of the secretary of the Army.
Stewart was assigned to Company A, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, deployed to North Korea near Kujang-dong. In late November 1950, he was captured by enemy forces and reportedly died March 14, 1951, while in captivity near Pyoktong, North Korea.
During Operation Glory in the fall of 1954, North Korea turned over 4,167 caskets including remains they claimed to be those of Stewart. This was part of an agreement in which each side would return remains of enemy soldiers. The United States returned caskets containing the remains of more than 12,000 communist soldiers. At the time the Army was unable to identify Stewart and the remains were buried as “unknown” along with 415 other servicemembers.
In 2008, an analyst from DPMO and an independent researcher concluded they had evidence that supported identification of several unknown soldiers buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. The remains were exhumed in September 2008. Scientists from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command identified Stewart’s remains through dental comparisons and circumstantial evidence related to the 1954 turnovers.
More than 2,000 servicemen died as prisoners of war during the Korean War. With the accounting of Stewart, 8,023 servicemembers still remain missing from that conflict.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO Web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call 703-699-1420.
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a serviceman, missing in action from World War II, have been identified and returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Army Air Forces Capt. George W. Grismore, 30, of Salt Lake City, will be buried at sea Nov. 17 off the coast of Newport Beach, Calif. A memorial service in Salt Lake City will precede the burial on Nov. 13. On March 12, 1945, Grismore and five crew members aboard a C-47A Skytrain departed Tanauan Airfield on Leyte, Philippines, on a resupply mission to guerilla troops. Once cleared for takeoff, there was no further communication between the aircrew and airfield operators. When the aircraft failed to return, a thorough search of an area ten miles on either side of the intended route was initiated. No evidence of the aircraft was found and the six men were presumed killed in action. Their remains were determined to be non-recoverable in 1949.
In 1989, a Philippine National Police officer contacted U.S. officials regarding a possible World War II-era aircraft crash near Leyte. Human remains, aircraft parts and artifacts were turned over to the local police, then to U.S. officials at the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command.
From 1989 to 2009, JPAC sought permission to send teams to the crash site but unrest in the Burauen region precluded on-scene investigations or recovery operations. Meanwhile, JPAC scientists continued the forensic process, analyzing the remains and physical evidence already in hand.
Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used mitochondrial DNA—which matched that of Grismore’s nephew—in the identification of his remains.
At the end of the war, the U.S. government was unable to recover and identify approximately 79,000 Americans. Today, more than 72,000 are unaccounted-for from the conflict.
Men’s Bereavement Support Group Hope Floats Healing and Wellness Center and Cranberry Hospice and Palliative Care collaborate to offer compassionate grief support in a comfortable, safe environment. This co-sponsored group is for those coping with the loss of a loved one. The group will incorporate both educational and supportive care components and will be led by specially trained, experienced hospice bereavement program volunteers. Where: Hope Floats Healing and Wellness Center, 4 Elm St. Kingston, MA When: May 13th through July 8th – 7:00 - 8:00pm This group meets every other week There is no cost for this group, but we welcome donations. For more information or to register please call Denise Brack at Hope Floats, 781-936-8068 ext. 2 or call Kathleen McAleer, MSW, LICSW at Cranberry Hospice
Maggie came to my U.S.Special Forces (A) "C-1 Team" in Danang when I ws a medic there in 1967 around this time as well. She was there for a couple of days dressed as described here. I had the pleasure of playing a "Nickle" slot machine with her and the S-4 Captain assigned as her camp escort. This was in our club on the beach facing the South China Sea. We played that machine, which had 3000 something on the meter and ready to bust, into the evening. One would feed the coins while one pulled the lever and the other rested. We rotated like this for hours. She even cashed a check for $130 for more nickles. Closing time came and we had to leave. The next day, men lined up to the machine as soon as the club opened. Soon it busted and paid out a lot of money. She and I talked and she new I was a newlywed. She invited my wife and I to stay at her "Green Beret House" in California when I got home in Feb '68. She gave me a private phone number to call when we would be coming. Unfortunately, when the time came, I did call but only got an answering machine. We never got to stay there. She was one hell-of-a-lady. It was said that at a Special Forces "A-Team" she was visiting that came under attack, she went to work with the Medic taking care of the wounded and would not evacuate like her escort wanted her to. Yes, she was our "Maggie."
Mitchell Eugene Rech, 88, died Jan. 23, 2010, at St. Lucie Medical Center in Port St. Lucie. He was born in Marion, Ohio, and lived in
Port St. Lucie for 45 years, coming from his birthplace. He was an Army veteran of World War II, serving with the 82nd Airborne. He was a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, past president of the 504 Parachute Infantry Regiment Association, vice president of the Space Coast All Airborne Chapter, and fought in the Battle of the Bulge.
Survivors include his daughters, Loralee Chastain of Vero Beach and Christine Eisenstein of Colombus, Ohio; son, Mitchell Jesse Rech of
Port St. Lucie; sister, Donna Keeler of Hilton Head, S.C.; six grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his
wife, Anna Marguerite; daughter, Melissa; and grandson, Jay Croft. Memorial contributions may be made to Treasure Coast Hospice, 1201
S.E. Indian St., Stuart, FL 34997. services: A memorial service will be announced at a later date. Arrangements are by All County Funeral
Home and Crematory Treasure Coast Chapel in Stuart.
Enlisted in the US Army on June 2, 1942, and received basic training at Camp Croft, South Carolina. After completing training, he was shipped to Jump School at Fort Benning, Georgia. Upon being awarded his wings, Rech was sent to For Bragg to become a member of the 1st Platoon, A Company, 504 PIR.
On April 10, 1943, Rech married his hometown sweetheart, Marguerite Brunson, in Dillon, South Carolina. After a tour of North Africa, Sicily, Italy, England, Holland, Belgium, and Germany, he was sent home and discharged from serviced in September 1945.
He and his wife of 54 years have four children, six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Rech is still working daily, being self-employed and doing architectural design in southeastern Florida. He is a charter, lifetime member, and the Vice-chairman of the Space Coast All Airborne Chapter, 82nd Airborne Division Association.
