This 1940 Valley Bugle yearbook photo provided by the Gowanda Central School District in Gowanda, N.Y., shows World War II veteran Carroll Heath. More than 70 years after Heath’s death, Alan Mesches is trying to fill in some of the blanks in a young man’s short life that was full of them. (Courtesy of Gowanda Central School District via AP) (The Associated Press)
ALBANY, N.Y. – An Air Force veteran is seeking public recognition for a western New York man who remains listed as missing in action more than 70 years after disappearing in the Philippines during World War II.
Carroll (KEHR'-uhl) Heath wasn't well-known among his fellow 1940 graduates of Gowanda High School. He enlisted in the Army the next year and was in the Philippines when the Japanese invaded in December 1941.
Heath was later declared as MIA by the U.S. military, but his name wasn't among those listed on the town's WWII memorial.
Gowanda native Alan Mesches (MESH'-ihz) of Texas learned about Heath from his father, Heath's classmate. Mesches spent months researching Census, school and military records in an attempt to fill in the many blanks in Heath's life. The result: Heath's name will be added to the Gowanda memorial later this year.
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