Allegany County Maryland

Lutes, David C.
Army Specialist

David C. Lutes, age 28, from Frostburg, Maryland, Allegany county.

Parents: Delia Ahern
Spouse: Bobbi J. Lutes
Children: Kya M. Lutes and Kaitlyn E. Lutes

Service era: Afghanistan
Military history: 1st Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Enlisted January 2008.

Date of death: Thursday, November 11, 2010
Death details: Died in Landstuhl, Germany of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan on Nov. 8, 2010.
Cemetery: St. Mary’s Cemetery; Bolivar, New York

Source: Department of Defense, Kentucky New Era, Military Times

Davis, Brandon Lee
Army Private 1st class

Brandon Lee Davis, age 20, from Cumberland, Maryland, Allegany county.

Service era: Iraq
Military history: B Company, 1St Engineer Battalion (1St Id), Fort Riley, Ks 66442

Date of death: Wednesday, March 31, 2004
Death details: Died when an improvised explosive device hit his armored vehicle in Habbaniyah, Iraq

Source: Department of Defense, Military Times

Piercy, George William
Navy Hospital corpsman

George William Piercy, age 40, from Allegany County Mount Savage, Maryland .

Spouse: Linda Piercy

Service era: Beirut bombings

Date of death: Sunday, October 23, 1983
Death details: Among more than 200 military personnel killed in the terroist bombing of Marine headquarters in Beirut.
Cemetery: Rocky Gap Veterans

Source: White House Commission on Remembrance, Baltimore Evening Sun (1983)

Walsh, Robert Dale
Air Force Sergeant

Robert Dale Walsh, age 22, from Mount Savage, Maryland, Allegany county.

Parents: Clement Walsh and Pearl Biggs

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Monday, April 27, 1970
Death details: South Vietnam
Cemetery: Mount Savage

Source: National Archives, Akron Beacon Journal (1970)

Randolph, Michael James
Army Corporal

Michael James Randolph, age 20, from Cumberland, Maryland, Allegany county.

Parents: Herbert H. Randolph

Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Allegany High (1969)
Military history: 4th Cavalry, Third Platoon, 25th Infantry

Date of death: Sunday, March 29, 1970
Death details: Killed in action in South Vietnam
Cemetery: Hostile, killed

Source: National Archives, Cumberland News (1970)

Wright, Donald Lee
Air Force sms

Donald Lee Wright from Mt. Savage, Maryland, Allegany county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: November 24, 1969
Death details: On October 2, 1995,  Joint Task Force-Full Accounting (JTF-FA, now DPAA) identified the remains of Senior Master Sergeant Donald Lee Wright, missing from the Vietnam War.

Senior Master Sergeant Wright joined the U.S. Air Force from Maryland and was a member of the 41st Tactical Airlift Squadron. On November 24, 1969, he was the flight engineer aboard a C-130A Hercules on a forward air controller/illumination mission over Laos. While operating near Ban Salou, the Hercules was shot down by anti-aircraft fire, and SMSgt Wright was killed in the crash. Immediate search and rescue efforts were prevented by heavy enemy presence in the area, and a friendly aircraft that later passed over the crash site saw no signs of survivors. In 1993, a joint U.S. and Laotian search team recovered remains from a crash site associated with SMSgt Wright’s C-130A. In 1995, forensic analysis identified some of the recovered remains as those of SMSgt Wright.

Senior Master Sergeant Wright is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the Cemetery: National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

McKenzie, John Lee
Army Private

John Lee McKenzie, age 27, from Maryland, Allegany county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, November 2, 1950
Death details: During the last week of October 1950, Republic of Korea (ROK) Army forces under the control of the U.S. Eighth Army were advancing deep in North Korean territory, approaching the Yalu River on the Chinese-Korean border. Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) struck back in a surprise attack, engaging the ROK 1st and 6th Divisions near Unsan, some sixty miles north of Pyongyang. The U.S. 1st Cavalry Division, with the 8th Cavalry Regiment in the lead, was rushed forward to reinforce the ROK units in the Unsan area. On November 1, the regiment’s 1st Battalion took up positions north of Unsan, while the 2nd Battalion moved to guard the Nammyon River valley west of town, and the 3rd Battalion was placed in reserve at the valley’s southern end. Private First Class John Lee McKenzie joined the U.S. Army from Maryland and was a member of Company B of the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. On November 2, 1950, Company B was supporting offensive 8th Cavalry Regiment elements near Unsan when it came under attack and was forced to withdraw. Private First Class McKenzie went missing during this combat, though circumstances surrounding his loss are unknown. He was never reported as a prisoner of war, and he has not been identified among the remains returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire. Today, Private First Class McKenzie is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Smith, Paul Thomas
Army Private

Paul Thomas Smith, age 22, from Maryland, Allegany county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, November 2, 1950
Death details: During the last week of October 1950, Republic of Korea (ROK) Army forces under the control of the U.S. Eighth Army were advancing deep in North Korean territory, approaching the Yalu River on the Chinese-Korean border. Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) struck back in a surprise attack, engaging the ROK 1st and 6th Divisions near Unsan, some sixty miles north of Pyongyang. The U.S. 1st Cavalry Division, with the 8th Cavalry Regiment in the lead, was rushed forward to reinforce the ROK units in the Unsan area. On November 1, the regiment’s 1st Battalion took up positions north of Unsan, while the 2nd Battalion moved to guard the Nammyon River valley west of town, and the 3rd Battalion was placed in reserve at the valley’s southern end. Private First Class Paul Thomas Smith, who joined the U.S. Army from Maryland, was a member of Company B, 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. By midnight on November 1, 1950, the 8th Cavalry Regiment was forced to withdraw from Unsan to Ipsok to avoid encirclement by the enemy. The CCF infiltrated around the road out of Unsan and continuously attacked the withdrawing men, who had to fight through several enemy road blocks to reach Ipsok. Private First Class Smith went missing in action during this fighting withdrawal. He was never reported as a prisoner of war, and he remains unaccounted for. Today, Private First Class Smith is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Walters, George William
Army Private 1st class

George William Walters, age 17, from Maryland, Allegany county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, November 2, 1950
Death details: During the last week of October 1950, Republic of Korea (ROK) Army forces under the control of the U.S. Eighth Army were advancing deep in North Korean territory, approaching the Yalu River on the Chinese-Korean border. Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) struck back in a surprise attack, engaging the ROK 1st and 6th Divisions near Unsan, some sixty miles north of Pyongyang. The U.S. 1st Cavalry Division, with the 8th Cavalry Regiment in the lead, was rushed forward to reinforce the ROK units in the Unsan area. On November 1, the regiment’s 1st Battalion took up positions north of Unsan, while the 2nd Battalion moved to guard the Nammyon River valley west of town, and the 3rd Battalion was placed in reserve at the valley’s southern end. Corporal George William Walters, who joined the U.S. Army from Maryland, was a member of Company L, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. By midnight on November 1, 1950, the 8th Cavalry Regiment was forced to withdraw from the Unsan area to avoid encirclement by the enemy. The 3rd Battalion was the last to withdraw, and was surrounded and cut off by the CCF. They formed a defensive perimeter, and withstood attacks for the next few days before being overrun. Corporal Walters went missing in action during this battle on November 2, 1950. He was never reported as a prisoner of war, and he remains unaccounted for. Today, Corporal Walters is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Dickinson, William H.
Army Private

William H. Dickinson from Maryland, Allegany county.

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Sunday, June 4, 1944
Death details: On May 17, 1944, U.S. and Chinese troops began the siege of Myitkyina, Burma. The town, which was occupied by the Japanese, possessed a strategically vital airstrip that would allow supplies and aerial support to reach troops fighting in difficult jungle terrain of the China-Burma-India Theater. While Chinese units comprised the majority of the ground combat troops, the U.S. Army’s 5307th Composite Unit, also known as Merrill’s Marauders, was also active in the fighting. The Japanese were able to defend the town until August 3, 1944, when their remaining men were ordered to withdraw. Hard fighting, difficult terrain, and the outbreak of disease led to significant casualties among the Chinese and American units that fought to take control of the town. Private William H. Dickinson joined the U.S. Army from Maryland and was a member of Company B, 236th Engineer Combat Battalion. He was killed in action on June 4, 1944, during the siege of Myitkyina. Private Dickinson’s remains were not recovered at the time of his loss, and he has not been identified among remains recovered from the area after the war. Today, Private Dickinson is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

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