Source: Daily Freeman Journal, Webster City, IA - June 27, 1946

Washington, D. C. — (AP) — The war department, in the first consolidated postwar casualty roll, Thursday listed 5,633 Iowans who died in army service or are still missing.

The department listed 3,282 Iowans as killed in action while the other 2,351 were shown as dead or missing, but not killed in battle.

The roll did not include any navy casualties.

The record dates from the presidential declaration of a national emergency May 27, 1941, through Jan. 31, 1946.

Twenty-five Iowans were carried as missing but, although a hunt for them goes on, the war department said there was little hope they would be found alive.

The Iowa dead other than in battle were 1,427 who died from non-battle injuries; 481 who died of wounds, 19 who died of battle injuries other than wounds, and 399 who were found dead under public law 490 of the 77th congress, which provides for declaring dead persons missing more than a year.

In Proportion

The war department figures showed Iowa’s casualties were about in proportion to the state’s population and contributions to the armed forces.

The state contained 1.69 per cent of the population of the United States and possessions in 1940, the department said and contributed 1.64 per cent of the total number of persons who entered the army. Of these men and women of Iowa who went to war, 3.45 per cent failed to return. This figure represents 1.84 per cent of the army’s total dead and missing.

Polk County High

Polk county (Des Moines) had the greatest number of casualties with 450. Woodbury county (Sioux City) was second with 234, Linn (Cedar Rapids) third with 213, and Black Hawk (Waterloo) fourth with 201.

The total for the nation its territories and possessions was 308,978 dead and missing.

Historical Department

The state historical department at Des Moines, which now lists 7,860 Iowa dead in the war, recently estimated the figure eventually would top the 8,000 mark. World War I took a toll of 3,576.

The historical department has yet to break down its roll among the services, but the latest navy list of dead contained 1,389 Iowans.

Mrs. Bessie Wilson, state historical records division director, explained some discrepancies would appear between the war and navy department death totals and that of the historical department because of the manner of determining the residence of the deceased.

The state agency has been corresponding with relatives, using newspaper clippings and other means to determine the prewar residence of all those included in its lists. The war department used home addresses given when entering the army, but lists addresses of next of kin when the original home address is not available.

Mrs. Wilson explained that an Iowa man who married a Florida girl while in training and subsequently was killed might be listed among the Florida casualties by the war department, but the state historical department through its research, would include him in the Iowa list.

COUNTY TOLL

Army casualties in Hamilton county, listed by the war department Thursday, totaled 46 men.

The tabulation by counties shows that Hamilton lost 26 men killed in action, 2 who died of wounds, 1 who died of injuries in battle areas, 13 who died in non-battle sectors and 2 who were listed dead after being reported missing for more than a year.

Hamilton county’s losses are as follows: (KIA signifying killed in action; DOW, died of wounds; DOI, died of injuries; DNB, non-battle losses, and FOD, finding of death—after being reported missing)

Akers, Willard C.,pvt. DNB
Bringolf, Raymond C., t/sgt. KIA
Brock, Franklin D., fl. o. KIA
Cady, Joe L., jr., s/sgt KIA
Clubb, Robert W., pvt. KIA
Cornett, Kenneth W., pvt. KIA
Curtis, Gerald A., cpl. DOW
Esters, Maurice V., 1 lt. FOD
Evans, Marion L., pvt. KIA
Franklin, Edward J., pvt. DNB
Gustafson, Donald R., pfc. KIA
Hamre, Edward B., pfc. KIA
Harris, Charles H., pvt. FOD
Hoshaw, Bernard E., pfc. DNB
Ingertson, William H., pvt. DOW
Julian, R. G., pvt. DNB
Keast, Earle W., pfc. KIA
Kirchhoff, James M., fl. o. KIA
Knoll, Howard G., tech. 5 KIA
Kolling, John P., pvt. DNB
Lichtenberger, G. L., pfc. DNB
Maxon, Warren, 2 lt. DNB
McFerren, Maynard, pfc. KIA
McKisick, Frank F., s/sgt. DNB
Meyers, Charles E., 1 sgt. KIA
Naden, Charles K., sgt. DOI
Nelson, Earl B., 2 lt. KIA
Nelson, Maynard O., pfc. KIA
Nelson, Robert R., capt. KIA
Nichols, Kenneth O., capt. KIA
Olmstead, Howard F., pfc. KIA
Overland, Emil J., pvt. DNB
Patterson, Robert R., pfc. KIA
Pfaffenbach, W. H., pfc. DNB
Potter, Robert O., 2 lt. KIA
Riley, Lee M., pvt. DNB
Sandal, Merle L., 2 lt. DNB
Scheppler, Willard O., pfc. KIA
Seiser, Harold E., 2 lt. DNB
Shake, Bernard E., tech. 4 KIA
Sharkey, Truman D., pfc. KIA
Shelton, Donald R., s/sgt. KIA
Silver, Roland J., pvt. DNB
Swenson, Benjamin L., pfc. KIA
Wilke, James V., capt. DNB
Williams, Marvin J., t/sgt. KIA