Roster Wj-Wz

USS Laffey

🔗========> 47 Roster Pages as of Nov 2025 - Alphabetical by Surname <========🔗
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bigpigeon.us webpage WWII Dead > Roster > Roster Wj-Wz, © 2025 by Robert A. Christiansen, updated by RAC 23 Nov 2025
Part 46/47 of the Pottawattamie Area World War II Dead Roster, 12 "Wj-Wz" records
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† Wold, Leslie Wayne, SN 560,533, US Marine Corps, Pott. Co.

b. 2 Aug 1926 Omaha; s/o Ludwig C. Wold (b. Clay Co., SD; d. 1937) & Irenia J. Huckert (b. Union Co., SD); family moved to Co. Bluffs in early 1930s; mother married William A. Wingate Feb 1940 in Blair, Washington Co., NE.
entered service 14 Jun 1944 from Co. Bluffs; next of kin mother, Mrs. Irenia J. Wingate, 2528 W. Broadway, Council Bluffs, IA; buried Westlawn-Hillcrest Cem., Omaha.
26th Marine Regt., 5th Marine Div.; KIA 3 Mar 1945 Iwo Jima, Japan.
WWII Japan > Iwo Jima & Okinawa > Battle of Iwo Jima

† Wood, Charles Emmett Jr., SN 17-041-753, US Army, Pott. Co.

b. 21 Dec 1913 Co. Bluffs; s/o Charles E. Wood Sr. (b. Morgan Co., OH) & Hattie B. Druen (b. Wisconsin; d. 1918).
married Eleanor B. Neve of Co. Bluffs Dec 1933 in Co. Bluffs, one child.
entered service 9 May 1942 from Co. Bluffs; service credited to Pott. Co.; buried Walnut Hill Cem., Co. Bluffs.
Hq. & Hq. Co., 836 Engineering Aviation Bn.; KIA 30 Oct 1943 Lae, Huon Gulf, New Guinea.
WWII Japan > New Guinea > Lae to Madang, NE New Guinea @ Operation Cartwheel

† Wood, Edgar George, SN 37-548-106, US Army, Harrison Co. & Renville Co., MN

b. 2 Feb 1920 Woodbine, Harrison Co.
unknown service entry data; service credited to Renville Co., MN; buried Sicily-Rome American Cem., Nettuno, Lazio, Italy.
349th Inf. Regt., 88th Inf. Div., II Corps, Fifth Army; KIA 8 Oct 1944 Italy.
WWII Germany > The MTO > Northern Italy > Fifth Army, Fall 1944

++++++++++
† Wood, Fred Joseph, SN 37-428-828, US Army, Harrison Co. & Valley Co., ID

b. 8 Apr 1910 Mondamin, Harrison Co.
entered service Sep 1942 from Rt. 1, Pisgah, Harrison Co.; serviced credited to Valley Co., ID; buried Sicily-Rome American Cem., Nettuno, Lazio, Italy.
First Special Services Force; KIA 23 May 1944 Anzio Beachhead, near Cisterna, Lazio, Italy.
WWII Germany > The MTO > Cassino/Anzio to Rome > Breakthrough and Breakout @ capture of Cisterna

++++++++++
about Edgar and Fred Wood:

sons of Elmer J. Wood (b. Omaha) & Anna S. Carr (b. Magnolia, Harrison Co.; d. 1937); father married Esther A. (Estabrooks) Hood Sarff Oct 1939 in Woodbine, Harrison Co. and moved to Minnesota in 1940s.

† Woods, Duane Lavern, SN 989,388, US Marine Corps, Montgomery Co.

b. 15 Mar 1924 rural Henderson, Lincoln Twp., Montgomery Co.; s/o William E. Woods (b. Jackson Co., KS; d. 1927) & Dorothy J. Jones (b. Montgomery Co.).
married Dorothy D. Warren of Lincoln Twp., Montgomery Co. Sep 1944 at Troy, Doniphan Co., KS.
entered service 7 Jul 1944 from Rt. 1, Henderson, Montgomery Co.; next of kin wife, Mrs. Duane L. Woods, Box 168, Red Oak, IA; buried Gomer Cem., Wales, Montgomery Co.
Co. K, 9th Marine Regt., 3rd Marine Div.; wounded on Iwo Jima; DOW early 11 Mar 1945 on hospital ship USS Solace (AK-5) en route from Iwo Jima to Guam, Mariana Is.
WWII Japan > Iwo Jima & Okinawa > Battle of Iwo Jima

† Wooten, Harry Thomas, SN 37-241-056, US Army, Atchison Co., MO

b. 29 Jul 1923 Watson, Nishnabotna Twp., Atchison Co., MO; s/o Charles W. Wooten (b. Knox Co., TN) & Sadie M. Kingery (b. Worth Co., MO).
entered service 16 Nov 1942 at Ft. Leavenworth, KS from Watson, Atchison Co., MO; service credited to Atchison Co.; buried Mt. Olive Cem., Hamburg, Fremont Co., IA.
Co. B., 50th Armored Inf. Bn., 6th Armored Div., III Corps, Third Army; KIA 26 Jan 1945 (official date 27 Jan) serving with Task Force Root near Weiswambach, extreme northern Luxembourg; head wound.
WWII Germany > The ETO > Ardennes/The Bulge > The Bulge Eliminated

† Wright, Arlos Edward, SN 37-697-737, US Army, Mills Co.

b. 24 Feb 1918 at Correctionville, Woodbury Co., IA; s/o Edward W. Wright (b. Correctionville) & Bernice M. Holcomb (b. rural Cushing, Woodbury Co.); family remained in Woodbury Co.
married Frances L. (Dunn) Dixon of Mills Co. Feb 1939 in Omaha, one step-child.
entered service 30 May 1944 from Malvern, Mills Co.; service credited to Mills Co.; buried Cushing Cem., Woodbury Co.
Co. K, 399th Inf. Regt., 100th Inf. Div., VI Corps, Seventh Army; KIA 21 Apr 1945 Waldenbronn, near Stuttgart, Germany.
WWII Germany > Central Europe > Southern Germany

† Wright, Bruce Ware, SN 39-161-053, US Army, Pott. Co. & Los Angeles Co., CA

b. 11 Nov 1916 Co. Bluffs; s/o Pearl O. Wright (b. Lewis, Cass Co.) & Myrtle C. Carey (b. Modale, Harrison Co.); parents divorced 1930s; mother married Fenton C. Shark; Bruce moved from Co. Bluffs to Los Angeles, CA with stepfather and mother in late 1930s; father married Mary N. (Gray) Johnson in 1938 and moved from Co. Bluffs to Los Angeles in 1940s.
unknown service entry data; service credited to Los Angeles Co., CA; buried Inglewood Park Cem., Inglewood, Los Angeles Co., CA.
13th Inf. Regt., 8th Inf. Div., VIII Corps, Third Army; KIA 31 Aug 1944 near Brest, Brittany, France.
WWII Germany > The ETO > Liberation > Brittany, Aug-Sep 1944

† Wright, David Frederick, SN 37-036-584, US Army, Crawford Co.

b. 12 Oct 1917 Dow City, Crawford Co.; s/o Glenn B. Wright & Agnes E. Malone, both b. Crawford Co.; family moved from Crawford Co. to rural Dunlap, Harrison Co. in late 1930s.
married Ruby M. Ferguson of rural Dunlap, Grove Twp., Shelby Co. 1944 in Dunlap, Harrison Co., one child.
entered service 29 Mar 1941 from Rt. 1, Dunlap, Harrison Co., service credited to unknown county; body not recovered; memorialized Tablets of the Missing, Henri-Chapelle American Cem., Hombourg, 25 miles east of Liege, Belgium.
14th Tank Bn., Combat Command B, 9th Armored Div., III Corps, First Army; KIA 1 Mar 1945 in Sievernich-Mülheim area SE of Düren, North Rhine - Westphalia, Germany; tank hit by anti-tank shell, three crew died immediately, the two captured included David F. Wright who died of wounds soon after capture.
WWII Germany > The ETO > To the Rhine > Operation Lumberjack

† Wright, Roy Arthur, SN 19-071-253, US Army Air Force, Montgomery Co. & Cascade Co., MT

b. 8 Oct 1917 Villisca, Montgomery Co.; s/o William Arthur Wright (b. Hayleyville, Page Co.) & Ruby Ethel Wilson (b. Villisca); parents divorced before 1920.
married Kathryn Black Jul 1936 in Villisca, one child, divorced; moved to Great Falls, MT; married Wilda Broeking Nov 1941 in Helena, MT.
entered service at unknown date; service credited to Cascade Co., MT; buried Cambridge American Cem., Coton, Cambridgeshire, England.
322nd Bomb Sqdn., 91st Bomb Gp., Eighth Air Force; based at Bassingbourn, 11 miles SW of Cambridge, England; Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress #42-37987 togglier (enlisted bombardier) with pilot Bill Burt; KIA 29 Jan 1944 near Sittingbourne, Kent, England; damaged aircraft crashed while returning from mission; one dead, remainder survived.
WWII Germany > The ETO > ETO Air War > Eighth Air Force

† Wunder, Edmund Earl, SN 321-17-95, US Navy, Shelby Co.

b. 2 Oct 1916 Harlan, Shelby Co.; s/o Herman W. Wunder Sr. (b. Shelby Co.) & Alvena Meves (b. Davenport, Scott Co.).
entered service 6 Sep 1941 from Harlan, Shelby Co.; next of kin parents, Mr. and Mrs. Herman Wunder, 111 Court St., Harlan, IA; body not recovered; memorialized Walls of the Missing, Manila American Cem., Luzon, Philippines.
destroyer USS Laffey (DD-459); KIA 13 Nov 1942 in Ironbottom Sound, north of Guadalcanal, Solomon Is.; Laffey hit by 14” shell from Japanese battleship Hiei & torpedo, then exploded & sank; 59 died, 186 survived.
WWII Japan > Solomon Islands > Solomons Naval War @ First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

† Wunder, Frank Grant Jr., SN 0-729-400, US Army Air Force, Pott. Co.

b. 14 May 1921 Co. Bluffs; s/o Frank A. Wunder (b. Minden Twp., Pott. Co.) & Eola G. Borland (b. Saunders Co., NE).
entered service 26 Jan 1942 from rural Minden, Pott. Co.; service credited to Pott. Co.; body not recovered; memorialized Walls of the Missing, Manila American Cem., Luzon, Philippines.
9th Fighter Sqdn., 49th Fighter Gp., Fifth Air Force, based at Dobodura airfields, S of Buna, Papua, New Guinea, staging from Kiriwina Airfield, Trobriand Is.; Lockheed P-38G Lightning #42-12856 pilot; KIA 13 Oct 1943; part of flight of P-38s escorting B-24 bombers for a raid on Rabaul; three P-38s lost, possible collision in cloud bank over Solomon Sea.
Note: Dick Bong, the leading US ace in WW II, was also with the 9th Fighter Squadron in New Guinea in 1943.
WWII Japan > Air Force War with Japan > Fifth Air Force @ Operation Cartwheel

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