In honor of Memorial Day, we asked those of you who have lost friends or relatives during wartime to share their stories with us. Here are the responses we received:

Ervin Gebhardt, Seattle
Private, Army
Died in Korean War
Ervin was a 1949 graduate of Queen Anne High School. He was the first in his class to die. He died in 1951 while serving as a medic in North Korea with the 25th Division. No headlines of his death, no interviews of friends in the press. Just a good friend who served his country in combat to get money to go to college.
— August Hahn, Seattle

Col. Irving Ramsower, Col. Henry Brauner, Col. Richard Castillo, Capt. Richard Halpin, Capt. Curtis Miller, Col. Howard Stephenson, Capt. Charles Wanzel, Maj. Barclay Young, Senior Master Sgt. James Caniford, Master Sgt. Merlyn Paulson, Senior Master Sgt. Edwin Pearce, Master Sgt. Robert Simmons, Senior Master Seargent Edward Smith and Master Sgt. William Todd
U. S. Air Force crew of a Spectre AC-130 Gunship

The Spectre AC-130A gunship that was shot down over Laos on March 29, 1972.

Died in Vietnam War
The above names represent the air crew of a Spectre AC-130A gunship that was shot down over Laos on March 29, 1972. For many years these gallant men were listed as missing-in-action and only recently declared killed-in-action. The aircraft was a Special Operations modified C-130 flying over the Ho Chi Minh Trail and was hit by two surface-to-air missiles.

I was the ground crew chief assigned to this aircraft and perhaps the last person to see these men alive as I sent them off to battle. They are always on my mind and their sacrifice will never be forgotten.
— Sgt. Thomas Combs, Monroe

Francis (Frank) J. McGlogan; St. Paul, Minn.
Lieutenant, Army Air Corp
Died in World War II
My father was a bombardier/navigator in a B-17, flying missions from his base in England, to bomb Germany. He died when his plane ditched in the North Sea while returning to base in December 1944. He was a radio announcer and newscaster, who volunteered for service. I have the script of his final broadcast telling how dedicated he was to the cause of freedom. I am his only child and was born Sept.1, 1939, the day Hitler invaded Poland. How ironic.
— Claudia Robles, Bothell

Alden H. Lightfoot, Onalaska, Lewis County
Staff Sergeant, Army
Died in World War II
Alden joined the National Guard in 1940, along with his brother and several friends, in Chehalis. They were called to active service in February, 1941. After training in Washington and California, he was assigned to the 465 AAA AW Battalion and sent to France, where he was killed on August 7, 1944. He was awarded the Purple Heart and Croix De Guerre-France with Bronze Star. His brother went on and served five years, including service in the Philippines.
— Dolores Lightfoot, Lynwood

Thomas Meehan, Brooklyn, NY
Apprentice Seaman, Navy
Died in World War II
Tommy was my class mate at St. Ephrem's grade school during the Depression. We were both 15, when he enlisted in the Navy using a bogus name and birth certificate several months before Pearl Harbor.

He was assigned to the USS Arizona and is still aboard. I first learned about his death when the priest announced it shortly after Pearl Harbor.

I visited the Pearl Harbor memorial several years ago and inquired about why his name was not listed among the crew. I found out then about the bogus name.

I attempted to find out what name he enlisted under, the but government will not release that information unless I obtain the permission from his parents. They would have to be over 100 years old by now. I enlisted in the Navy after my 17th birthday.
— John F. Raleigh, Spokane

Carl G. Smith, Buckley, Pierce County
First Lt., US Army Aircorp
Died in World War II
Lt. Smith was the Aircraft Commander of a B-29 that was bombing Tokyo, Japan in the early morning hours of April 2, 1945. His plane was hit by enemy ack ack which set the bomb bay afire. Unable to extinguish the fire he gave the signal for bail-out. Three men got out but the plane exploded just as the third man left the plane.

One crew member evaded capture for a few days. When captured he had developed gangrene in his feet but was given no medical attention and died soon after. The other two survived the horrors of POW camp. All other crewman died when the plane exploded.

As an aircraft commander myself, I knew "Smitty" well as we had been together in our squadron formations over Japan. He was considered a gallant and brave American by all of us. We grieved at his loss. He was the holder of the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with three Oakleaf Clusters. His photograph, with his crew, is carried on our squadron Honor Roll.
— Lt. Col. Walter Sherrell, USAF Ret., Bellevue

Milton Warshal, Seattle
Private, US Army
Died in World War II
I want to remember someone who I never met and who hardly has anyone to remember him. My uncle was killed in action at Motrain, France in August of 1944. He was the youngest child of a family that had immigrated to the United States in 1911 when he was 5 years old.

He was the only member of his family to serve overseas in World War II. He was unmarried at the time — while he was overage and could have been discharged, he served his adopted country. His family never really knew how he died; they waited nine months from the time he was reported missing-in-action to killed-in-action. He now has only nieces and nephews who never knew him to remember his service.

I hope he will be among those remembered this Memorial Day.
— Laurie Warshal Cohen, Seattle

Takaaki Okazaki, Seattle
Tech. Sgt. 442nd Infantry
Died in World War II
He fought in Italy and southern France, where he was killed in action. He received two Purple Hearts.
— Frank Okazaki, Seattle

Rolf Jorgensen, Seattle
Corporal, Marines
Died in Vietnam War
Rolf died in the Operation Hastings in Vietnam, July 22, l966. He was due to come home a few weeks later but that was not to be. He was 21 years old at the time. We miss him and will never forget what a dear young man he was.
— Sissel Peterson, Seattle

Brian B. Thornton, Tacoma
Private First Class, Marines
Died in Korean War
My brother, Brian B. Thornton, graduated from St. Martins H. S. in Lacey with lots of athletic honors in 1950He'd attended college for awhile but kept getting letters from some buddies that had signed with the Marine Corps and were stationed in sunny California. My dad tried to dissuade Brian. Dad had enlisted in World War II at the age of 42,and saw combat during the Normandy Invasion in June 1944. He had the emotional and physical battle-scars to remember too vividly the aftermath of war.

But Brian, physically fit and ready to do his patriotic duty like his brothers and dad, felt it was only right that he sign up.

Wedrove to California to see him after he'd completed his training at Camp Pendleton. I was so proud of him, impressed to see him tan and tall in his dress uniform just before he shipped out.

Initially, he got orders to Oahu, Hawaii where he was in a Special Forces group. That's where he could have stayed had he not felt guilty that he needed to join forces overseas while his buddies over in Korea were getting wounded and killed. His request, out of his unit, took a couple of months and he retrained for combat.By August 1952, he'd landed in Korea and his letters were full of spirit and the feeling that their unit would prevail was strong.

Two weeks before his 20th birthday he wrote to his brother Mike saying he was "sorry he couldn't make it to his wedding and promised to be on hand for sister Rita's wedding in years to come. He also, said to be sure and tell mom and gram that he assisted the chaplain at mass and everything was great".

One week before his 20th birthday, he reported that "there are more enemy troops than he thought, they must be coming out of tunnels somewhere".

"I'll be ok, though, I'm supposed to be relieved in a week or so".

"It's weird tho, I can see them off in the distance only 500 yards away.""Not everybody can say they spent their 20th BD in Korea," he added.

The notice from the War Dept came the weekend after my brother Mike's wedding in Spokane on Aug. 24. (The letter said) … that Brian had served honorably , and was killed in actionon August 24th.

There were a few articles in the newspapers but no big media coverage compared to today. No grief counselors to assist you during the process of adjusting to the fact that this 6'1", blue-eyed, smiling guy would not be coming back to join his beloved family and many friends.

My mother, Sibyl, was able to leave the mental hospital for Brian's funeral two months after he died. St. Patricks Churchwas full of all his classmates and lots of Irish relatives. We listened to an Irish tenor sing my dad's favorite, Danny Boy. His name is inscribed on the Wall of Remembrance in Seattle and the Korean War memorial in Olympia. We have lots of medals and letters from Presidents praising all these men for their patriotic service records. No words or honors can replace the lives that have been altered serving in the military over all these years.

My heart goes out to all the people who have lost their loved ones and the unnecessary sacrifice they have been called to provide for a questionable war action. We honor all the men and women in the service and you will not be "forgotten".
— Rita Thornton Schaab, Mercer Island

Arthur Jason "Pooh" Bayer, Ridgecrest, Calif.
Lt. Commander, U.S. Navy
Jason was killed after flying his last flight for VX31 at Navy Air Warfare Station in China Lake, California in March 2002. He was in a transport helicopter that went down in Isabella Canyon coming back from Pt. Mugu. Jason was a man who loved everybody & had a smile on his face all the time. Never did I know this man to have a bad day. He knew that God was in control so there was nothing to get mad about.

He worked with the youth group at St. Michael's Episcopal Church. The hardest part of losing Pooh was at the time of his death he had a little girl,Gabby, who was just a year old and his wonderful wife, Ann, was pregnant with Jason Christian who was born in July 2002.

Rest in peace my friend. A day does not go by when I don't think of you. I only knew you a short time here on Earth but I will see you in Heaven one day. We can praise our Savior with Chaco & all the other brothers & sisters we've lost. You may not have died during a war but you're still my hero and your life touched so many people. You are missed in four states: Virginia, where Ann and the kids now live: Arizona, where your dad lives; here in Washington with me; California at Weapons Test Squadron, China Lake. Thank you for touching my life.
— Julie Connell, Everett

John Blair Carter
Hooper, Whitman County
Second lieutenant, Army Combat Engineers
Died in World War II
My dad was 27 — the second eldest of five brothers. The other four had enlisted in the service. My dad, with a wife and two children, was not required to go — he volunteered. He was a combat engineer with the first wave ashore on June 6, 1944 — D-Day — on Omaha beach. He was killed in action about an hour after landing while assaulting a German pillbox about 200 yards from the shore.This same pill box now serves as the base for a monument to the 5th Engineer Special Brigade, and his name is one of 96 listed on that monument. My, have times changed for next-of-kin notification. My mother's landlady found my dad's KIA name in the newspaper on July 12, 1944, and broke the news to my mother. Prior to that, she had no idea about my dad's status. She only knew he went to England. He is buried at Normandy Beach. I was only 5 years old, but I miss my Dad.
— Chuck Turbak, Mill Creek

Mary Rita Palowitch
Johnstown, Penn.
Second lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps
Died in World War II My maternal aunt, Mary Rita, was the first woman Marine to die in the service of her country. She, along with another woman Marine, was killed in an explosive fire at Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station, N.C. on June 3, 1944. She had served in the Marines from May 1943 until her death more than a year later. She worked in a wooden building which housed a pilot training facility.
— Patricia Manuele, Seattle

Robin L. Varney
Seattle
Sergeant, Army 101st Airborne
Died in the Vietnam War
My brother enlisted in the Army right out of high school. He was gung-ho to get to Vietnam. He was killed at the age of 20.