bigpigeon.us webpage WWII Roster > Roster Records > Roster-Wa-We, © 2023 by Robert A. Christiansen, updated by RAC 1 Oct 2023.
​Part 22/24 of Big Pigeon's Pottawattamie Area World War II Dead Roster, 19 Wa-We names.
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† Waage, Paul Allen, SN 20-704-306, US Army, Pott. Co. & Douglas Co., NE
  • b. 17 Apr 1924 Omaha; s/o August Waage & Jean V. Eamer; raised in Omaha; entered service 10 Feb 1941 from National Guard Armory, Co. Bluffs; bur. North Africa American Cem., Carthage, Tunisia.
  • Regimental band drummer, 168th Inf. Regt., 34th Inf. Div., II Corps; KIA 17 Feb 1943 Djebel Ksaira, SE of Sidi Bou Zid, Tunisia, North Africa; Battle of Sidi Bou Zid - The MTO > North Africa > Tunisia.
  • Notes: went on active duty at age 16, died at 18.

​† Wagaman, James Mitchel, SN 37-692-118, US Army, Montgomery Co.
  • b. 5 Jan 1907 near Luther, Oklahoma Co., OK; s/o Harvey L. Wagaman & Sarah A. Cullum; family moved to rural Villisca, Montgomery Co. 1917; m. Frances M. Hutchinson of Villisca 1930, five children; entered service 15 Mar 1944 from Villisca; bur. Villisca Cem.
  • Anti-aircraft Artillery School at Ft. Bliss, TX; d. 3 Aug 1944 near Villisca while home on leave; vehicle lost control & overturned.

​† Wagner, Egbert Vernon, SN O-9476, US Marine Corps Aviation, Pott. Co.
  • b. 27 Sep 1918 Cowles, Webster Co., NE; s/o Rev. Robert Wagner & Florence A Schoop of Treynor, Pott. Co.; entered service 28 May 1941 from Treynor.
  • Marine Air Fighter Sqdn. VMF-112, Marine Air Group 11, based at Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, Solomon Is.; Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat BuNo 05087 pilot; KIA 26 Jan 1943 near Henderson Field, air collision on patrol over Ironbottom Sound; South & SW Pacific > Solomon Islands - Guadalcanal; BNR.

​† Wagner, Richard Paul, SN O-30916, US Marine Corps Aviation, Pott. Co.
  • b. 29 Nov 1919 Bryon, Thayer Co., NE; s/o Rev. Robert Wagner & Florence A Schoop of Treynor, Pott. Co.; entered service 2 Jun 1942 from Treynor; m. Marion I. Roennau 1943; bur. St. Paul’s Luth. Cem., Treynor.
  • Hq. Sqdn., Marine Base Defense Air Group 41, El Toro Marine Corps Air Station, Santa Ana, Orange Co., CA; DNB 3 Mar 1944 E of San Juan Capistrano, Orange Co.; air accident while training.

† Wahlert, Robert Jacob, SN 37-425-956, US Army, Audubon Co. (St. Paul's)
  • b. 27 Jan 1913 Exira, Audubon Co. s/o Jacob F. Wahlert Jr. (d. 1934) & Augusta E. Bartelt; m. Jane Olsen of Audubon Co. Mar 1942; bur. Exira Cem.
  • nothing known of military service; d. 23 Aug 1942 in hospital Co. Bluffs; he & wife injured in motorcycle accident 22 Aug. 6 miles E of Co. Bluffs; she d. 25 Aug.

​† Walker, Hayden Leonard, SN 37-262-366, US Army Air Force, Mills Co. & Douglas Co., NE (WWII-WalkerHaydenL)
  • b. 7 Mar 1921 Glenwood, Mills Co.; s/o William Walker (d. 1940) & Irene Shipley; entered service 5 Sep 1942 from Glenwood, service credited to Douglas Co., NE.
  • Bn. Headquarters, 445th Signal Construction Bn., Aviation (colored); DNB 19 Oct 1944 in Burma or India; passenger on Douglas C-47 Skytrain/Dakota flight from Myitkyina, Burma to Ledo, Assam, India; plane disappeared after requesting a heading to Ledo; China-Burma-India > Crossing the Hump; BNR.

† Wall, Vernon Palmer, SN 648-07-99, US Navy, Pott. Co.
  • b. 11 Sep 1922 Co. Bluffs; s/o Henry Wall (d. 1938) & Edna Niemoller; family moved to Taney Co., MO in late 1930s and returned to Co. Bluffs after father's death; entered service 2 Jan 1942 from Co. Bluffs.
  • Submarine USS Seawolf (SS-197); KIA 3 Oct 1944 off Morotai, Dutch Indies, S of the Philippines; Seawolf sunk by friendly fire, all 83 crew & 17 US Army passengers dead; Naval War with Japan > US Submarine Force; BNR.

​† Walling, Garrett Alma, SN 20-743-538, US Army, Pott. Co.
  • b. 14 Jun 1922 Co. Bluffs; s/o David S. Walling & Effie Sandage of Co. Bluffs; entered service 13 Jan 1941 from Co. Bluffs; bur. Henri-Chapelle American Cem., Verviers, Belgium.
  • 506th Parachute Inf. Regt., 101st Airborne Div., VIII Corps, Third Army; KIA 14 Jan 1945 NE of Bastogne, Belgium; The ETO > Ardennes/The Bulge > The Bulge Eliminated.

​† Warren, Alfred Leroy, SN 37-470-626, US Army Air Force, Mills Co.
  • b. 29 Mar 1923 California Jct., Harrison Co., s/o Frank A. Warren & Florence E. Hedlund; family lived in Mills & Pott. Cos.; entered service 19 Jan 1943 from Silver City, Mills Co.; bur. Glenwood Cem., Mills Co.
  • 79th Transport S-F-A-Base, Hamilton Field, Suisan City, Solano Co., CA; DNB 23 Jun 1943 Fairfield, Solano Co., CA, vehicle hit by a train.

​† Waters, James Martin, SN 37-445-422, US Army, Pott. & Harrison Cos.
  • b. 22 Feb 1922 Woodbine, Harrison Co.; s/o William H. Waters Jr. & Fannie Haner; family lived in different locations in Harrison Co.; entered service 20 Nov 1942 from rural Neola, Pott. Co., service credited to Pott. Co.; bur. Woodbine Cem.
  • 66th & 396th Armored FA Bns.; DNB 5 Oct 1945 Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany; head injury from jeep accident; The ETO > ETO Comm. Zone.

​† Weihs, Alfred Peter, SN 620-39-83, US Navy, Shelby Co.
  • ​b. 28 Sep 1917 Shelby Co.; s/o Anton J. Weihs & Catherine M. Stinn; family lived in Lincoln & Grove Twps. before moving to Jackson Twp. in late 1930s; enlisted May 1942 from Des Moines, Polk Co.
  • Destroyer USS Aaron Ward (DD 483); KIA 7 Apr 1943 in Ironbottom Sound near Tulagi, Solomon Is.; Aaron Ward sunk by Japanese bombs while escorting LST-449; 27 dead; South & SW Pacific > Solomons Sea War; BNR.
  • Note: LST-449 was also attacked but survived unscathed. Among its passengers that day was young John F. Kennedy, reporting for duty in the South Pacific.

​† Welbourn, Eldred Orville, SN 37-484-888, US Army, Pott. Co.
  • b. 5 Jan 1923 rural Neola, Neola Twp., Pott. Co.; s/o Harvey L. Welbourn & Sadie M. Vallier; family moved  to SE Boomer Twp. in late 1920s and to rural Underwood, eastern Hazel Dell Twp. in early 1930s; entered service Sep 1943 from Rt. 1, Underwood.
  • 262nd Inf. Regt. 66th Inf. Div.; KIA 24 Dec 1944 on SS Leopoldville crossing English Channel from Southampton, England to Cherbourg, France; Leopoldville was torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-486 five miles off Cherbourg; 763 US Army deaths; The ETO > ETO Sea War; BNR.​
  • Local and Family History Note: Eldred Welbourn's Boomer Twp. home was on a farm owned by RAC's step-grandfather, Ralph Spencer. Eldred Welbourn graduated from Underwood High School in 1938 at the age of 15.

​† Welch, Harold Arthur, SN 37-673-375, US Army, Audubon Co. (WWII-WelchHaroldA)
  • b. 30 Sep 1924 Des Moines, Polk Co.; s/o William D. Welch & Clara E. Shelley of Audubon Co.; entered service 18 Jun 1943 from Audubon; bur. Maple Grove Cem., Audubon.
  • Co. C, 359th Inf. Regt., 90th Inf. Div., XX Corps, Third Army; KIA 28 Sep 1944 near Metz, Lorraine, France; Battle of Metz - The ETO > War of Attrition > Lorraine/Alsace 1944 > Lorraine/Third Army.
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​† Wells, Lester Earl, SN 37-465-227, US Army, Pott. Co.
  • b. 15 Jun 1921 Hardin Twp., Pott. Co.; s/o Earl S. Wells & Helen E. Grote of Hardin Twp.; entered service 27 Nov 1942 from Rt. 3, Co. Bluffs; bur. Cedar Lawn Cem., Co. Bluffs.
  • 39th Inf. Regt., 9th Inf. Div., VII Corps, First Army; KIA 13 Jul 1944 NW of St. Lo, Normandy, France; The ETO > Normandy Campaign > Normandy, July 1944.

† Wells, Robert H., SN 37-659-382, US Army, Audubon Co. (St. Paul's)
  • b. 10 Jul 1923 Kimballton, Audubon Co.; s/o Robert H. Wells & Anna Larsen of Exira, Audubon Co., entered service 10 Feb 1943 from Exira; bur. Exira Cem.
  • 105th Inf. Regt., 27th Inf. Div., XXIV Corps, Tenth Army; KIA 26 Apr 1945 Shuri Line, Okinawa, Ryukyu Is., Japan; Battles of the Shuri Line - Iwo Jima & Okinawa > Land Battle of Okinawa.

​† Welty, Robert Lyman, SN O-407132, US Naval Aviation, Douglas Co., NE
  • b. 21 Jul 1923 Sioux Falls, Minnehaha Co., SD; s/o Harry L. Welty & Jane E. Jones of Co. Bluffs; entered service 18 Nov 1942 from Kansas City, MO; m. Nancy Langdon of Omaha 1944; one child; bur. Cedar Lawn Cem., Co. Bluffs.
  • Naval Air Fighter Sqdn. VF-12, Carrier Air Group 12; carrier USS Randolph (CV-15); Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat BuNo 77880 pilot; KIA 14 May 1945 over Kyushu, Japan; Naval War with Japan > Third & Fifth Fleets.

​† Wenstrand, Byron Kenneth, SN 632-55-87, US Navy, Montgomery Co. (WWII-Wenstrand)
  • b. 25 Sep 1914 Shelley, Bingham Co., ID; s/o Oscar O. Wenstrand & Phoebe Liljedahl; family moved to Omaha in 1920s & to rural Red Oak, Montgomery Co. in early 1930s; entered service 16 Feb 1942 from Rt. 3, Red Oak; bur. Evergreen Cem., Red Oak.
  • Naval Air Station Sand Point, Seattle, WA; d. 24 Sep 1942 US Naval Hospital, Bremerton, Kitsap Co., WA; tuberculosis & meningitis.
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​† Wenstrand, Robert Darwin, SN 0-701-356, US Army Air Force, Page Co. (WWII-Wenstrand)
  • b. 23 May 1918 Essex, Page Co.; s/o Bennett B. "Ben" Wenstrand & Myrtle L. Larson; entered service 12 Jan 1942 from Rt. 1, Essex; m. Glendora B. Ashby 1943, one child.
  • 53rd Troop Carrier Sqdn., 61st Troop Carrier Gp., Ninth Air Force; based at Barkston Heath, Lincolnshire, England, east of Nottingham; Douglas C-47 Dakota/Skytrain navigator; DNB 3 Dec 1944 over North Sea; The ETO > ETO Air War; BNR.

​† Wentz, William Findley, SN 17-069-660, US Army Air Force, Black Hawk Co. (edited 21 Nov 2020)
  • b. 7 Apr 1916 Walnut, Pott. Co.; s/o Newton W. Wentz (d. 1931) & Genevieve Findley; family moved to Eldora, Hardin Co. in 1920s and to Waterloo, Black Hawk Co. abt 1933; one child b. 1942; m. Lalieth Protheroe 1944; entered service 19 Oct 1942 from Waterloo. 
  • 785th Bomber Sqdn., 466th Bomber Gp., Eighth Air Force, based at Attlebridge, Norfolk, England; Consolidated B-24H Liberator #42-52555 Ol' Tom Cat flight engineer; KIA 9 May 1944 on mission to Tutow, E of Rostock, Germany, ditched in North Sea, no survivors; The ETO > ETO Air War; BNR.