The "59 List"
 
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Appendix B to Task Force Russia Biweekly Report for 9 October 1992
Subject: List of 59

[KWE Note: This list was supplied to the Korean War Educator by John Zimmerlee, who works tirelessly to unearth data about missing Korean War veterans.]

 
1. On 24 September 1992 the Russians provided a list of names of US Korean War POWs (TFR-16) at meeting of the US-Russian Joint Commission on POWs.  The list, entitled "List of United States Air Force Personnel, Shot Down in Aerial Combat and by Anti-Aircraft Artillery During Military Operations in Korea and Transited Through an Interrogation Point", ended with the number 59, but two pages with 15 names were missing.  The Russians stated that this list consisted of US personnel interrogated during the Korean War, the reports of which were then provided to the Soviets.

2. The following actions were taken to refine the list:

a. The TFR-16 document was translated by TFR.  An identical listing of 59 names passed to Paul Cole, Rand Corporation, was used to complete the TFR-16 list.

b. The List of 59 was then compared to the List  of 71 (TFR-2) names, provided earlier to TFR.  The List of 71 had been analyzed and most of the names correctly identified with correct spellings by the USAF Missing Persons Branch.  Forty-three of the 59 names also appeared among the 70 names.  TFR coordination with the Missing Persons Branch was able to identify the correct spelling and identities of most of the remaining names.

c. Rand Corporation's analysis of the 59 names was then compared to the TFR/USAF analysis and revealed the identities of several more names.

d. Using all this information, the attached Corrected List of 59 with the correctly identified and spelled names was created.

3. The analysis revealed that two names had been duplicated and that one name was that of an Australian.  Therefore, the List of 59 actually contains 56 names.  Of these 56 names,

a. One name (No. 6 - Wilkens) is listed as USMC and has not as yet been identified;

b. One name (No. 26 - Gilliam or Jilliam) has not been identified at all;

c. Of the remaining 54 names, 52 are of USAF personnel and two are of USMC personnel who have been positively identified;

d. Of these 54 names, 50 were returned to military control (RMC) at the end of hostilities in Korea;

e. The remaining four names are unaccounted for service members, referenced by their number on the Corrected List of 59:

  1. 23. Tenny, Albert Gilbert
         CPT, USAF
     
  2. 24. Reid, Albert J., Jr.
         SGT, USAF
     
  3. 48. Harker, Charles Abbot, Jr.
         2LT, USAF
  4. 49. Niemann, Robert Frank
         2LT, USAF

The Corrected List of 59

[Note: RMC = Returned to Military Control; MIA = Missing in Action; D = Died]
 

Correct Name Except where "?"* Shoot Down Date Status List Name is On
1.  Stahl, Charles Eugene, 2LT (1LT), USAF 7 Jan 52 RMC 71/59
2.  Maultsby, Charles Wayne, 2LT (1LT), USAF 5 Jan 52 RMC 71/59
3.  Green, Joseph F., 2LT (1LT), USAF 11 Jan 52 RMC 59
4.  Eyres, Thomas Liewellyn, 1LT (CPT), USAF none given RMC 71/59
5.  Henderson, Jack E., 2LT (1LT), USAF 31 Aug 51 RMC 71/59
6.  Wilkens (?), Dennis V., CPT, USMC (?) 3 Jul 51 ? 71/59
7.  MacClellan, Donald J., LTC, USAF 8 May 51 RMC 71/59
8.  Smith, J.B., CPT, USAF 8 May 51 RMC 71/59
9.  Wright, Vernon L., 2LT (1LT), USAF 16 Jan 52 RMC 71/59
10. Peterson, Daniel Delong, 2LT (1LT), USAF 17 Jan 52 RMC 71/59
11. Enoch, Kenneth Lloyd, 1LT, USAF 13 Jan 52 RMC 71/59
12. Quinn, John S., 1LT, USAF 31 Jan 52 RMC 71/59
13. Thrash, William Gay, LTC, USMC 21 Dec 51 RMC 71/59
14. Richardson, Judson Cromwell, LTC, USMC 15 Dec 51 RMC 71/59
15. Duplicates No. 19      
16. Kubicek, Harold Bretislav, CPT, USAF 4 Jul 52 RMC 71/59
17. Frick, Vance R., 2LT (1LT), USAF 21 Jun 52 RMC 71/59
18. Dearmond, Michael Edward, 1LT, USAF 21 Apr 52 RMC 71/59
19. Parks, Roland William, 2LT (1LT), USAF 4 Sep 52 RMC 71/59
20. Zwiacher, John Wesley, 1LT, USAF 10 Apr 52 RMC 71/59
21. Ellis, John G., 1LT, USAF 20 Jul 52 RMC 71/59
22. Duplicates No. 20      
23. Tenny, Albert Gilbert, CPT, USAF 3 May 52 MIA/D 59
24. Reid, Elbert J., Jr., SGT (SSGT), USAF 10 Jun 52 MIA/D 59
25. Kniss, Paul R. 2LT (1LT), USAF 31 May 52 RMC 59
26. Jilliam (Gilliam) (?), Chief, Operations Dept. (?) 14 Apr 52 ? 59
27. Arnold, John Knox, Jr., COL, USAF 12 Jan 53 RMC 71/59
28. Thompson, John Walker III, A/2C, USAF 13 Jan 53 RMC 71/59
29. Buck, John W., 1LT (CAPT), USAF 13 Jan 53 RMC 71/59
30. Elmer, Fred Allewelin, CPT, USAF 13 Jan 53 RMC 71/59
31. Vaddi, Eugene T., CPT, USAF 13 Jan 53 RMC 71/59
32. Schmidt, Daniel C., observer (A/2C), USAF 13 Jan 53 RMC 71/59
33. Benjamin, Harry Martin Jr., A/2C, USAF 13 Jan 53 RMC 71/59
34. Kiba, Steve E., A/1C, USAF 13 Jan 53 RMC 71/59
35. Baumer, William H., MAJ, USAF 13 Jan 53 RMC 71/59
36. Brown, Howard W., TSGT, USAF 13 Jan 53 RMC 71/59
37. Brown, Wallace L., 2LT (1LT), USAF 13 Jan 53 RMC 71/59
38. Moreland, Joseph E., 1LT, USAF 4 Jul 52 RMC 59
39. Strieby, Francis Allen, 2LT, USAF 4 Jul 52 RMC 59
40. Brazil, Kenneth S., 1LT l(CPT), USAF 4 Jul 52 RMC 71/59
41. Combs, Edward D., SGT (SSGT), USAF 4 Jul 52 RMC 59
42. Koski, William Emile, SGT (SSGT), USAF 4 Jul 52 RMC 59
43. Johansen, Charles Vernon, Sr. Sgt, (SSGT), USAF 4 Jul 52 RMC 71/59
44. Rivers, Bernard Francis, Sr. Sergeant (TSGT), USAF 4 Jul 52 RMC 59
45. Bass, Kenneth H., SGT (SSGT), USAF 4 Jul 52 RMC 59
46. Hand, Donald L., A/2C (A/1C), USAF 4 Jul 52 RMC 59
47. Fischer, Harold Edward, Aviator (CPT), USAF 7 Apr 53 RMC 59
48. Harker, Charles Abbot Jr., 2LT (1LT), USAF 4 May 53 389 List 59
49. Niemann, Robert Frank, 2LT (1LT), USAF 12 Apr 53 MIA/D 59
50. Osburn, John A., CPT (MAJ), USAF 19 Sep 53 RMC 71/59
51. Heller, Edwin Lewis, LTC, USAF 23 Jan 53 RMC 71/59
52. Izbicky, Edward J., 1LT, USAF 19 Feb 53 RMC 71/59
53. Pape, Donald L., 1LT, USAF 15 May 53 RMC 71/59
54. Giraudo, John C., LTC, USAF 16 Jun 53 RMC 71/59
55. Bettinger, Stephen L., MAJ, USAF 20 Jul 53 RMC 71/59
56. Coury, Robert A., CPT, USAF 20 Jun 53 RMC 71/59
57. Hodges, Albert V., 1LT, USAF 19 Jun 53 RMC 71/59
58. Dillon, Edward, 2LT, USAF 15 Jun 53 RMC 71/59
59. Pinkstone, Donald William, SGT (RAAF-Australian) 15 Jun 53 RMC 71/59

*See note on ranks.

Note on ranks: When the Russian list and the U.S. records gave different ranks for the same individual, both are included with the Russian listed rank first and the U.S. rank in parenthesis.  The difference may be explained by the U.S. practice to promote individuals by schedule even if the soldier is missing in action.  This practice explains that almost all the second lieutenants on the Russian list are first lieutenants in the U.S. records maintained by the USAF Casualty Office.
 
 
 
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