RICHMOND, Va. –
With the recent 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, the Virginia National Guard History Program is highlighting the seven Virginia Army National Guard Soldiers who mobilized in 1941 who are still listed as missing in action.
Four were assigned to the 116th Infantry, two to the 111th Field Artillery and one to the 176th Infantry. The Soldier assigned to the 176th was Sgt. Peter Dennis, originally from Prince George, Virginia. After mobilizing with his company in February 1941, Dennis was sent to Fort Meade, Maryland, before eventually being transferred to the U.S. Army Air Corps.
“What many folks do not realize is that some VaARNG soldiers, although mobilized with their units, were later transferred to other Army units,” said retired Chief Warrant Officer 4 Al Barnes, the VNG command historian. “Some went to the Army Signal Corps, some became tankers, some served as field artillery men and a number, including three of our MIAs, were among those transferred to the Army Air Corps.”
By the summer of 1942, Sgt Dennis was in the South Pacific and serving as a gunner on a B-25D Mitchell Bomber:
His bomber, “Sunsetter’s Son,” was assigned to the 71st Bomber Squadron, 38th Bomb Group of the 5th Air Force:
Sunsetter’s Son (B25D #41-29707) took off Dec. 1, 1942, with its crew of seven including Dennis. They flew with five other B-25s from Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, on a mission to attack a Japanese convoy of four destroyers approaching Buna, Oro Province, Papua New Guinea.
After bombing the lead Japanese vessel, Dennis’s B-25 was attacked by multiple Japanese Zeros. The attacking Japanese planes succeeded in causing the B-25 to catch on fire and crash into the sea approximately 92 miles north of Buna. Two parachutes were seen leaving this B-25. The entire crew was, however, lost.
The crew was officially declared dead on December 12, 1945.
Killed In Action were:
1st Lt. Ross G. Menoher, Jr., Pilot
1st Lt. Lloyd I. Savely, Co-Pilot
1st Lt. Roy E. Hindman, Bombardier
1st Lt. Ronald A. Purkey, Navigator
Tech Sgt. Edward A. Kelly, Radio Operator
Sgt. Peter Dennis, Gunner
Pfc. George V. Wolcott, Gunner
Sgt Dennis and his crew’s names are listed on the Tablet of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines.
Dennis’ death happened significantly earlier than many of the VaARNG’s World War II casualties.
“Sgt. Dennis was killed in action less than a year after Pearl Harbor and 18 months before the 29th Infantry Division went ashore on Omaha Beach,” said Barnes.
The 38th Bomb Group had no official motto but carried the nickname of "The Sun Setters." They are credited with serving in the Battle of Midway; the Battle of the Bismarck Sea; the Bombing of Wewak; the Bombing of Rabaul (November 1943) and Battle of Ormoc Bay. They lost 95 aircraft in combat and had 442 air crew killed or MIA.