Christopher Avon McCraw, age 23, from Columbia, Mississippi, Marion county.
Service era: Iraq
Military history: A Co, 1-21 In, 2 Bct, 25 Id ( Task Org To 4 Id)
Date of death: Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Death details: Hostile; Baghdad, Iraq
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
Henry Ray Expose, age 19, from Columbia, Mississippi, Marion county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Wednesday, August 26, 1970
Death details: Killed in action
Source: National Archives, Associated Press (1970)
Buford Larkin Dale from Columbia, Mississippi, Marion county.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Saturday, December 2, 1950
Death details: On the evening of November 27, 1950, a huge Chinese force launched an attack against the U.S. and United Nations (UN) troops stationed in the Chosin Reservoir area in north-east North Korea. The resulting seventeen-day conflict became known as the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. After a fierce defense, U.S. and UN forces attempted to withdraw south from the Chosin Reservoir to the port of Hungnam. A single seventy-eight-mile roadway connecting the reservoir to Hungnam offered the only retreat route, and the withdrawing men faced significant enemy resistance as they traveled down it, attempting to avoid encirclement. After suffering heavy casualties, the U.S. and UN troops eventually broke through Chinese lines and reached Hungnam. Staff Sergeant Buford Larkin Dale, who joined the U.S. Marine Corps from Mississippi, served with the Headquarters & Services Company, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. He was killed in action during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir on December 2, 1950, as his unit attempted to dislodge the CCF from Hill 1542, which overlooked the roadway between Yudam-ni and Hagaru-ri. He was carried down the hill and buried along the roadside where he was given a field burial; however, his remains could not be recovered or identified following the war. Today, Staff Sergeant Dale is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Carley Campbell Robertson from Marion County Columbia, Mississippi .
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Thursday, October 15, 1942
Death details: On October 15, 1942, he was in a U.S. convoy of six ships that was towing barges loaded with urgently needed supplies toward Guadalcanal. The American forces on that island were in dire need of resupply. When the convoy was spotted by enemy aircraft, all but two ships withdrew from the area. The two ships that pressed on were the USS Meredith (DD-434,) a destroyer, and the USS Vireo (AM-54,) a lightly armed towing vessel. Upon receiving word that Japanese surface warships were operating in the area, both ships were forced to turn back from their mission. Because of its age and slow speed, Vireo was abandoned, and the crew taken aboard the Meredith. Within minutes, the Meredith was attacked by a large force of enemy aircraft. The destroyer sustained multiple bomb and torpedo hits and quickly sank. The survivors spent three days at sea before being rescued. The majority of the crews of both ships was killed in the incident.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency