website bigpigeon.us, webpage WWII Dead > Roster Outliers > Pott. Co. Discrepancies, © 2026 by Robert A. “Bob” Christiansen, updated 7 Jan 2026
​
This subpage of Big Pigeon's WWII Dead > Roster Outliers is specific to Pottawattamie County, Iowa.
Some names found in the following two Pottawattamie County WWII sources appear in error:
  • iagenweb.org's WWII Pottawattamie County Roll of Honor
  • the WWII section of the Pottawattamie County Veteran's Plaza Wall of Honor in Council Bluffs
Therefore, I do not include these names in Big Pigeon's Pottawattamie Area WWII Dead Roster. Herein is my list of exclusions:
​
​==> Part 1 - Roll of Honor names that will not be in my WWII Dead Roster.
  • Peterson, SM 2/C Jack Millard, US Navy, KIA, s/o M/M Harley/Harlan Petersen, 1127 Military Ave., Council Bluffs.Petersen, Jack Millard, SN 648-08-27, US Navy; b. 18 Oct 1921 Co. Bluffs; s/o Harley Petersen & Frances H. Millard of Co. Bluffs; entered service 4 Jan 1942 from Co. Bluffs; released 5 Nov 1945; d. 4 Mar 1973. Possible confusion with Jack Peterson of Harlan, Shelby Co., s/o Harlan Peterson, who was lost at sea in the Atlantic Ocean during WWII or with Harlan Howard Luther Peterson of Stanton, Montgomery Co., both of whom are roster members.

==> Part 2 - Roll of Honor & Veteran's Plaza names that will not be in my WWII Dead Roster.
  • Andersen, Andrew, US Navy, KIA, Neola - probably confused with Rev. Andersen of St. Paul's, rural Neola; b. 1891, d. 
  • Petersen, Merle J., US Army, Council Bluffs, IA, Nonpareil 30 May 1945 - (WWII-PetersenMerleJ-Survivor) Died in 1989.

​==> Part 3 - Veteran's Plaza names that will not be in my WWII Dead Roster. ​

Part 3a - I an unable to locate the individual.
  • Blair, Clyde T. - Veteran's Plaza - All three Clyde/Claude Blairs located in the greater Omaha area lived beyond WWII.
  • Porter, Dale L. - Veteran's Plaza - I can't locate this individual.
  • Saunders, William “Jim” - Veteran's Plaza - I can't locate this individual. This is not Robert William Saunders from Council Bluffs, who is already in the roster.
  • Weide, Elaine G. - Veteran's Plaza - I can't locate this individual.
None of the above appear in the Iowa Bonus Case Files for Beneficiaries.

Part 3b - Belongs in the Veteran's Plaza's World War I section.
  • Smith, Ruby - b. 13 Jan 1888 Pott. Co.; d/o Willard E. Smith & Susan Knox of Grove Twp.; WW I Red Cross volunteer from Macedonia, Pott. Co.; d. 16 Oct 1918 in New York during the influenza pandemic en route to France; bur. Macedonia Cem.; Macedonia's Ruby Smith Post 648 of the American Legion carries her name.

Part 3c - WWII veteran who died later than 1950 and thus don't qualify for my Ancillary Roster.​
  • Cain, Orville J. - Orville James Cain, SN 250572, Sgt., US Marine Corps; b. 9 Feb 1909 s/o James E. Cain & Catherine E. Schriver who lived in Nebraska and then settled in rural Carson, Pott. Co.; 1st Defense Bn., Wake Island; POW near Shanghai, China; m. Bernice Rose Viola Kunze; d. 8 Oct 1987;  buried Wheeler Grove Cem. near Carson.
  • Wall, Charles E. - Charles Elmer Wall b. 18 Mar 1923 near Griswold, Pleasant Twp., Cass Co.; s/o Vernon E. Wall & Edith Moore; served in ETO in WWII; m. Betty J. Briles; d. 7 Feb 1995; buried Mt. Olivet Cem., Cheyenne, WY.
  • Winger, Ancil W. - Ancil Wayne Winger, SN 3164416, Electrician's Mate 3/c, US Navy; b. 29 Oct 1916 Plattsmouth, NE s/o Earl Winger & Gladys Edie; raised in Co. Bluffs; parents lived at 1607 4th Ave. during WWII; submarine USS Perch (SS-176), damaged by Japanese destroyer torpedoes and scuttled NW of Surabaya, Java 3 Mar 1942; POW (of the crew of 54, five died in captivity, 49 survived WWII); remained in service after WWII; married Elizabeth Jane "Betty" Wise 1954; d. 8 May 1986, buried Fort Logan Nat'l Cem., Denver, CO. 

Part 3d - Enlisted after WWII combat ended, belong in the Veteran's Plaza's Died While Serving in the Military section:
  • Grate, Forest G., USAF - b. 20 Oct 1928; s/o Forest Glenn Grate & Perninah Jean “Jennie” Penman; enlisted Feb 1946; Sgt. 1100th Sta. Med. Gp.; d. 24 Aug 1948 in two-plane collision near Newton, NJ; in Iowa Bonus Case Files for Beneficiaries; buried Memorial Park Cem., Co. Bluffs.
  • Hathaway, Joseph L., US Army - b. 7 Oct 1929; s/o Gaylord Roy Hathaway & Lessie Pearl German; enlisted 16 Jan 1946; d. 17 Jul 1949 in Germany; not in Iowa Bonus Case Files for Beneficiaries; buried Memorial Park Cem., Co. Bluffs.
  • Phipps, Louis C., SN 3180449, US Navy - b. 8 Dec 1930; s/o Carroll Wilfred Phipps & Sarah Arlene Colwell; enlisted 19 Feb 1948; d. 6 Aug 1951 at Moffett Field, Santa Clara Co., CA; not in Iowa Bonus Case Files for Beneficiaries; buried Cedar Lawn Cem., Co. Bluffs.
  • Pierson, Lawrence E., US Navy - b. 2 Jan 1930 Co. Bluffs; s/o Leo Dallas Pierson & Eva Umble; enlisted 1948; d. at home on leave 3 Jul 1950; not in Iowa Bonus Case Files for Beneficiaries; buried Memorial Park Cem., Co. Bluffs.

Part 3e - Died in the Vietnam War, belong in the Veteran's Plaza's Vietnam section:
  • Leighton, Earl L., SN B608294, US Navy - b. 22 Oct 1937 Colorado; s/o Ellsworth Sherbeck Leighton & Erma Gertrude Kirby; enlisted about 1957 from Omaha; d. 17 Jan 1969 Bien Hoa, Dong Hai, Vietnam; buried Cedar Lawn Cem., Co. Bluffs.
  • Schickner, Bernard E., SSN 485-54-3089, US Army;  b. 10 Feb '45;  entered service 3 Jan 1966, released 16 Dec 1968; d. 4 Apr 1972; buried Hardin Twp. Cem. SE of McClelland, Pott. Co. 
  • Schmidt, Howard D. This is Dale Howard Schmidt, 1947–1968, who died in Vietnam, and who also appears in the Veteran's Plaza Vietnam section as Dale H. Schmidt. There is a memorial to Dale on the grounds of the Twisted Tail restaurant in Beebeetown, Harrison Co. erected by his friend, Eddie Spencer.

​Sources for Big Pigeon's WWII Dead > Roster Outliers > Pott. Co. Discrepancies webpage: