Brian Keith Joplin, age 32, from Hugo, Oklahoma, Choctaw county.
Service era: Iraq
Military history: Hm-15, Corpus Christi, Tx
Date of death: Tuesday, October 4, 2005
Death details: ,
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
Jerod Rhoton Dennis, age 19, from Soper, Oklahoma, Choctaw county.
Service era: Iraq
Military history: Company B 3D Battalion 504Th Pir, Fort Bragg, North Carolina
Date of death: Friday, April 25, 2003
Death details: Hostile; Bagram, Afghanistan
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
James Gilbert Dalton, age 19, from Sawyer, Oklahoma, Choctaw county.
Parents: Louie L. Dalton
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Monday, January 12, 1970
Death details: Died in an Army hospital in Tokyo from injuries received December 20 in a swimming accident in Vietnam
Source: National Archives, Odessa American (1970)
Ollie Edward Shepard, age 22, from Oklahoma, Choctaw county.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Sunday, December 3, 1950
Death details: On August 7, 2017, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Sergeant Ollie Edward Shepard, missing from the Korean War. Sergeant Shepard joined the U.S. Army from Oklahoma and was a member of I Company, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. In late November of 1950, Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) launched a large-scale offensive against U.S. troops in the Chosin Reservoir of North Korea, forcing them to withdraw south. SGT Shepard’s unit was positioned on the eastern side of the reservoir at the outset of the attack, and he was reported missing in action once the withdrawal was complete. He was never reported to be a prisoner of war, and his remains were not returned immediately following the war. In September 2004, a joint U.S./North Korean investigative team recovered remains from a site on the eastern side of the Chosin Reservoir. Some of the recovered remains were eventually identified as those of SGT Shepard. Sergeant Shepard is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Obie Clifton from Oklahoma, Choctaw county.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Thursday, November 30, 1950
Death details: On November 27, 1950, the 31st Regimental Combat Team (RCT), tasked with replacing the 5th Marine Regiment on the east side of the Chosin Reservoir, arrived at the P’ungnyuri Inlet. That night, Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) launched a surprise attack against the 31st RCT. Although the Chinese were numerically superior, the 31st RCT managed to repel the initial attack. The CCF attacked again on the night of November 28, and late on the morning of November 29 the men occupying the northernmost perimeter conducted a fighting withdrawal to consolidate with the rest of the RCT in the perimeter south of the P’ungnyuri Inlet. The CCF continued their attacks on the consolidated perimeter, and on the night of November 30, the Chinese launched a massive attack. On December 1, the 31st RCT began to withdraw from the P’ungnyuri Inlet to Hagaru-ri. Heavy fighting occurred during the withdrawal and many more men were lost. Remnants of the 31st RCT began arriving at Hagaru-ri on December 2. The CCF then attacked the village, and the 31st began to withdraw to Hamhung on December 6, 1950. Corporal Obie Clifton, who joined the U.S. Army from Oklahoma, served with the Heavy Mortar Company, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, which was part of the 31st RCT. He went missing in action during the CCF counterattacks on November 30, 1950, though specific details regarding his loss are unknown. No one saw him fall, and he was never reported to be a prisoner of war. His remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the war. Today, Corporal Clifton is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Walter Tobe Percer, age 29, from Boswell, Oklahoma, Choctaw county.
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Saturday, November 20, 1943
Death details: From November 20 through 23, 1943, the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy conducted a large-scale amphibious assault on the Japanese-held atoll of Tarawa as part of Operation Galvanic, the Allied capture of the Gilbert Islands. Located 2,500 miles southwest of Hawaii, Tarawa was a crucial stepping stone in the planned U.S. offensive across the central Pacific toward Japan. The Japanese garrison on Tarawa’s main island of Betio was well-entrenched with hundreds of bunkers and gun positions behind formidable beach obstacles. The first wave of Marines approaching the shore encountered lower-than-expected tides, forcing them to leave their landing craft on the reef and wade the hundreds of yards to the beach under intense enemy fire. The heaviest number of U.S. casualties were suffered during this phase of the landing. Eventually, rising tides allowed U.S. warships to maneuver closer to shore and support the troops with effective naval gunfire. More Marines landed on the second day, launching attacks inland from the beaches and seizing the Japanese airfield on the island. However, the enemy launched vicious counterattacks and two more days of intense fighting were needed to secure Betio. The last enemy strongpoints were taken on the morning of November 23. The fighting on Betio cost the Marines nearly 3,000 casualties but enabled U.S. forces to press further across the Pacific and yielded valuable tactical lessons that reduced U.S. losses in future amphibious landings. Corporal Walter Tobe Percer entered the U.S. Marine Corps from California and served in Company D, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division. He was killed in action on November 20, 1943 during the Battle of Tarawa and was buried on Betio in Cemetery #11. His remains were not identified among those disinterred from the island after the war. Today, Corporal Percer is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency