Columbus County North Carolina

Sinkler, Amy R.
Army Private 1st class

Amy R. Sinkler, age 23, from Chadbourn, North Carolina, Columbus county.

Service era: Afghanistan.
School: West Columbus High, Chadbourn (2006)

Parents: Randolph and Jackie

Spouse: Douglas

Date of death: Thursday, January 20, 2011
Death details: Died in Baghlan Province, Afghanistan of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked her unit with a rocket propelled grenade.

Military history: 17th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 3rd Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, Fort Richardson, Alaska.

Cemetery: Butler Branch Cemetery in Fair Bluff, North Carolina 

Source: Department of Defense, Military Times, findagrave.com, Fayetteville Obverser

McLawhorn, Willie Atlas. Jr.
Army Corporal

Willie Atlas  McLawhorn Jr., age 23, from Whiteville, North Carolina, Columbus county. Their last known residence was in Conway, North Carolina.

Parents: Willie McLawhorn and Diane McLawhorn
Spouse: None
Children: None

Service era: Afghanistan
Schools: Northeast Academy of Lasker, North Carolina (2005)
Military history: 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault); Fort Campbell, Kentucky. November 2006

Date of death: Sunday, December 12, 2010
Death details: Died in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device. Killed were Cpl. Sean M. Collins, Cpl. Willie A. McLawhorn, Spc. Patrick D. Deans, Spc. Kenneth E. Necochea Jr., Spc. Derek T. Simonetta, Spc. Jorge E. Villacis, 24, of Sunrise, Fla.
Cemetery: Conway Cemetery

Source: Department of Defense, The News & Observer, Military Times

Perry, Kenneth J.
Army Specialist

Kenneth J. Perry, age 23, from Lake Waccamaw, North Carolina, Columbus county.

Service era: Gulf War
Schools: Magnolia High graduate

Date of death: Monday, March 18, 1991
Death details: Killed by land mine.

Source: White House Commission on Remembrance, Gulf War Chronicles, Department of Defense, Fort Pierce Tribune (1991)

Godwin, Kenneth Ray
Army Private 1st class

Kenneth Ray Godwin, age 21, from Chadbourn, North Carolina, Columbus county.

Parents: Lee Godwin

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Saturday, January 31, 1970
Death details: Killed in Vietnam

Source: National Archives, Charlotte Observer (1970)

Taste, Wade
Army Private 1st class

Wade Taste, age 18, from Columbus County Cerro Gordo, North Carolina .

Parents: William Taste

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Saturday, May 21, 1966
Death details: Killed in Vietnam

Source: National Archives, Associated Press (1966)

Adams, Steadmon Jr.
Army Private 1st class

Steadmon Jr. Adams, age 20, from Columbus County Cerro Gordo, North Carolina .

Service era: Vietnam
Military history: 35th Infantry Regiment

Date of death: Tuesday, March 15, 1966
Death details: Died in Darlac Province from small arms fire
Cemetery: Hickory Grove Baptist Church, Fair Bluff

Source: National Archives, 35th Infantry Regiment Association

Tanner, Charles Elbert
Army Staff sergeant

Charles Elbert Tanner, age 34, from Columbus County Clarendon, North Carolina .

Spouse: Shelby J. Tanner

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Saturday, October 23, 1965
Death details: Non-hostile death in Vietnam

Source: National Archives, Winston Salem Journal (1965)

Congleton, Roy Elsworth
Army Major

Roy Elsworth Congleton, age 32, from Columbus County Chadbourn, North Carolina .

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Monday, December 21, 1964
Death details: Killed in action in South Vietnam

Source: National Archives, News and Observer (1964)

Hines, Walker
Army Private

Walker Hines from North Carolina, Columbus county.

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Friday, November 3, 1944
Death details: The Battle of the Hürtgen Forest, one of the bloodiest conflicts of World War II, was fought between Allied and German forces from September 1944 to February 1945. As U.S. forces advanced eastward into Germany, the defending Germans manned “Siegfried Line” positions opposite the Belgian border. The battle grew to involve approximately 200,000 troops, with tens of thousands of casualties on both sides. American forces initially entered the area seeking to block German reinforcements from moving north toward the fighting around Aachen, the westernmost city of Germany, near the borders with Belgium and the Netherlands. In the battle’s second phase and as part of the Allied’s larger offense toward the Rhine River, U.S. troops attempted to push through the forest to the banks of Roer River. Aided by bad weather and rough terrain, German forces in the Hürtgen Forest put up unexpectedly strong resistance due to a well-prepared defense. American forces were unable to break through to the Rur before the German Ardennes offensive struck in December 1944, known as the Battle of the Bulge, which halted the eastward Allied advance until February 1945. Private Walker Hines, who joined the U.S. Army from North Carolina, was a member of Company G, 112th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division, during the Battle of Hurtgen Forest. He was reported missing in action on November 3, 1944, while serving near Germeter, Germany, and attempts to locate the private following his disappearance were unsuccessful. Today, Private Hines is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Burns, William Robert
Navy Reserves Carpenter’s mate 2nd class

William Robert Burns from Columbus County Charlotte, North Carolina .

Spouse: Jennie Ann Efird Allen

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Thursday, June 8, 1944
Death details: On June 30, 2025, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of U.S. Navy Carpenter’s Mate 2nd Class William R. Burns, missing from World War II. Burns entered the U.S. Navy from North Carolina and served aboard the destroyer USS Glennon (DD-620). At the time of the D-Day landings in Normandy, France, the Glennon operated in the Baie de la Seine off the French coast. The destroyer patrolled for enemy craft and provided naval gunfire in support of Allied troops on the shore near Quineville. On June 8, the Glennon’s stern struck a German mine in shallow water, badly damaging the ship and causing it to lodge in the sea floor. The majority of the crew was forced to abandon ship, but a small contingent, including Burns, stayed aboard for salvage operations. On June 10, a German artillery battery near Quineville found the ship’s range and opened fire. One salvo struck the Glennon amidships and cut off all power. Following another hit, the Glennon’s commander ordered the crew to abandon ship before it eventually rolled and sank. Burns was lost during the shelling and was among 25 sailors missing between June 8 and 10. In 1957, pieces of the Glennon were hauled ashore by salvagers. A local resident discovered human remains in the wreckage. These remains could not be identified at the time and were interred as unknowns. In 2022, the Department of Defense and the American Battle Monuments Commission exhumed the remains for comparison with missing sailors from the Glennon. To identify Burns, DPAA scientists used modern forensic techniques and circumstantial evidence.
Cemetery: Ardennes American Cemetery

Source: National Archives, American Battle Monuments Commission, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

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