Bartow County Georgia

Sharp, Charles S.
Marines Lance corporal

Charles S. Sharp, age 20, from Adairsville, Georgia, Bartow county. Their last known residence was in Adairsville.

Service era: Afghanistan
Military history: 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

Date of death: Thursday, July 2, 2009
Death details: Died while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

Source: Department of Defense, Military Times

Wehunt, Billy Dean
Army Specialist 4

Billy Dean Wehunt, age 20, from Cartersville, Georgia, Bartow county.

Parents: Clayton Wehunt

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Wednesday, June 10, 1970

Source: National Archives, Atlanta Constitution (1970)

Stevens, Wayne J.
Navy Aviation electronics technician 2nd class

Wayne J. Stevens, age 30, from Adairsville, Georgia, Bartow county.

Spouse: Marilyn Corrine Stevens
Children: Two children

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Wednesday, November 8, 1961
Death details: Among 11 Navy men killed when their Neptune bomber plunged into the oceans 100 miles off Virginia. The two-engine, long-range bomber was taking part in an antisubmarine training mission with the carrier Lake Champlain.

Source: Associated Press (1961), Portland Press Herald (1961)

Cooper, Robert Edd
Army Private 1st class

Robert Edd Cooper, age 21, from Georgia, Bartow county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Friday, July 10, 1953
Death details: On July 6, 1953, a large Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) unit attacked and overran the U.S. Army outposts on Pork Chop Hill in an attempt to seize whatever territory possible before the impending armistice agreement. After fighting for the position for four days, on July 10, the 7th Infantry Division Commander determined that the CCF disregard for casualties and desire to hold the outpost outweighed the position’s tactical value, and ordered a withdrawal that was eventually completed on July 11. The U.S. never again controlled Pork Chop Hill, preventing thorough recovery efforts for those who were killed or went missing during the fighting. Corporal Robert Edd Cooper, who joined the U.S. Army from Georgia, served with Company I, 3rd Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. On July 10, CPL Cooper was killed in action during the CCF attack on Pork Chop Hill. His remains could not be recovered following the battle, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Corporal Cooper is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Hanson, Melvin Fain
Army Private 1st class

Melvin Fain Hanson from Georgia, Bartow county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Wednesday, June 10, 1953
Death details: Late at night on June 10, 1953, Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) launched an attack against an important American outpost known as “Outpost Harry,” which commanders had deemed a “major outpost…to be held at all costs.” Following hours of intense bombardment, Chinese infantry attacked the American trench lines in front of the outpost. The CCF succeeded in capturing the trenches but intense hand-to-hand combat kept the CCF from advancing farther. Attacks persisted through the next day and late into June 11. By the morning of June 12, the Chinese forces withdrew. Similar assaults continued on “Outpost Harry” through the next week. Corporal Melvin Fain Hanson entered the U.S. Army from Georgia and served in Company M, 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. He went missing during the CCF attack on “Outpost Harry,” though specific details regarding his loss are unknown. No one saw him fall and he was never reported alive in enemy hands. Attempts to locate or identify his remains were unsuccessful. Today, Corporal Hanson is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Lewis, Warren Gunn
Army 1st lieutenant

Warren Gunn Lewis from Georgia, Bartow county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Wednesday, December 6, 1950
Death details: On July 11, 1950, the U.S. Army’s 21st Infantry Regiment, which had arrived in Korea six days earlier, was placed in defensive positions near the town of Chochiwon, South Korea. The regiment was not at full strength and lacked artillery and anti-tank weapons. That day, they were attacked by North Korean forces and were forced to withdraw to avoid being surrounded, as well as to buy time until they could be reinforced and resupplied. First Lieutenant Warren Gunn Lewis, who joined the U.S. Army from Georgia, served with M Company, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He was captured by enemy forces on July 12 near Chochiwon and was forced to march north to the Apex prison camps in North Korea. He died on December 6 of exhaustion and pneumonia at the camp near Hanjang-ni and was buried nearby. His remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire. Today, First Lieutenant Lewis is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

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