website bigpigeon.us, webpage WWII Dead > Roster Outliers > Pott. Co. Discrepancies, © 2024 by Robert A. “Bob” Christiansen, updated 2 Feb 2024. 
This subpage of Big Pigeon's WWII Dead > Roster Outliers is specific to Pottawattamie County, Iowa.
Some names found in the WWII Pottawattamie County Roll of Honor and in the WWII section of the Pottawattamie County Veteran's Plaza Wall of Honor in Council Bluffs appear in error. Therefore, I do not include these names in Big Pigeon's Pottawattamie Area WWII Dead Roster. Herein is my attempt at reconciliation.
==> Part 1 - Veteran's Plaza names that will not be in my WWII Dead Roster. ​ None appear in the Iowa Bonus Case Files for Beneficiaries.
  • 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.

​==> 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, b. 1891, d. 
  • Petersen, Merle J., US Army, Council Bluffs, IA, Nonpareil 30 May 1945 - (WWII-PetersenMerleJ-Survivor) Died in 1989.

​==> Part 3 - 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 4 - Veteran's Plaza's WWII section names that will not be in my WWII Dead Roster.
4a - 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.
4b - WWII veteran who died later than 1949 and thus don't qualify for my WWII Dead 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. 
4c - 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; 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; 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; 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; buried Memorial Park Cem., Co. Bluffs.
4d - 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 ~ 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 '66, released 16 Dec '68; d. 4 Apr '72; 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, Shelby Co. erected by his friend, Eddie Spencer.
Sources for Big Pigeon's WWII Dead > Roster Outliers > Pott. Co. Discrepancies webpage: