Bryan Anthony Lewis, age 32, from Bunkie, Louisiana, Avoyelles county.
Service era: Iraq
Military history: 258Th Military Police Co, 519Th Mp Bn, 49Th Military Police Bde, Fort Polk, Louisiana
Date of death: Monday, March 13, 2006
Death details: Hostile; Rustamiyah, Iraq. Killed when an improvised device detonated near his Humvee.
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
Michael Ray Nugent, age 22, from Marksville, Louisiana, Avoyelles county.
Spouse: Janic M. Nugent
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Thursday, December 24, 1970
Death details: Killed in action in Vietnam
Source: National Archives, UPI, Associated Press (1970)
Richard Dupont, age 21, from Avoyelles County Louisiana.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Thursday, November 30, 1950
Death details: By mid-November 1950, U.S. and Allied forces had advanced to within approximately sixty miles of the Yalu River, the border between North Korea and China. On November 25, approximately 300,000 Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) “volunteers” suddenly and fiercely counterattacked after crossing the Yalu. The 2nd Infantry Division, located the farthest north of units at the Chongchon River, could not halt the CCF advance and was ordered to withdraw to defensive positions at Sunchon in the South Pyongan province of North Korea. As the division pulled back from Kunu-ri toward Sunchon, it conducted an intense rearguard action while fighting to break through well-defended roadblocks set up by CCF infiltrators. The withdrawal was not complete until December 1, and the 2nd Infantry Division suffered extremely heavy casualties in the process. Sergeant Richard Dupont, who joined the U.S. Army from Louisiana, was a member of B Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He went missing in action during the moving withdrawal from Kunu-ri, though specific details regarding his loss are unknown. He was never reported to be alive in enemy hands, and his remains were not recovered or identified following the war. Today, Sergeant Dupont is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. His name is also inscribed on the Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC, which was updated in 2022 to include the names of the fallen.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Elton Joseph Bernard from Avoyelles County Bunkie, Louisiana .
Parents: Simon and Lydia Bernard
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Unknown
Death details: By mid-November 1950, U.S. and Allied forces had advanced to within approximately sixty miles of the Yalu River, the border between North Korea and China. On November 25, approximately 300,000 Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) “volunteers” suddenly and fiercely counterattacked after crossing the Yalu. The 2nd Infantry Division, located the farthest north of units at the Chongchon River, could not halt the CCF advance and was ordered to withdraw to defensive positions at Sunchon in the South Pyongan province of North Korea. As the division pulled back from Kunu-ri toward Sunchon, it conducted an intense rearguard action while fighting to break through well-defended roadblocks set up by CCF infiltrators. The withdrawal was not complete until December 1, and the 2nd Infantry Division suffered extremely heavy casualties in the process. Sergeant Elton Joseph Bernard, who joined the U.S. Army from Louisiana, served with Battery D, 82nd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He went missing in action on December 1, 1950, as his unit provided direct fire support during this withdrawal. He was reportedly seen briefly alive in enemy hands, however, this was not confirmed and his name never appeared on any prisoner of war rosters. He has not been identified among any remains returned to U.S. custody after the war. Today, Sergeant Bernard is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. His name is also inscribed on the Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC, which was updated in 2022 to include the names of the fallen.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Marksville Weekly News (2009)