Bennie Ray Hively, age 20, from Jonesboro, Arkansas, Craighead county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Saturday, April 24, 1971
Death details: Killed in action
Cemetery: Cash, Arkansas
Source: National Archives, findagrave.com, Northwest Arkansas Times (1971)
Joseph Lee Chambers, age 23, from Jonesboro, Arkansas, Craighead county.
Parents: Joseph F. Chambers
Spouse: Karen
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Tuesday, September 1, 1970
Death details: Killed in Vietnam in a helicopter crash
Source: National Archives, Associated Press (1970)
George D. Jr. Henry, age 27, from Jonesboro, Arkansas, Craighead county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Thursday, August 13, 1970
Death details: Killed in a helicopter crash in Thailand during a routine training mission
Source: National Archives, Associated Press (1970)
William Floyd Dacus, age 19, from Bono, Arkansas, Craighead county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Saturday, April 25, 1970
Cemetery: Tinity in Bono
Source: National Archives, findagrave.com
Robert Ray McGinnis, age 20, from Jonesboro, Arkansas, Craighead county.
Service era: Vietnam
Military history: 35th Infantry Regiment
Date of death: Wednesday, July 2, 1969
Death details: Killed by mortars, Pleiku Province
Cemetery: Markham Cemetery in Egypt, Arkansas
Source: National Archives, 35th Infantry Regiment Association
Jerry W. Bell, age 24, from Craighead County Lake City, Arkansas .
Parents: Henry Bell
Spouse: Erika
Children: Ronnie Wayne Bell, 4 months
Service era: Vietnam
Military history: 1st Infantry Division
Date of death: Wednesday, May 18, 1966
Death details: Hostile, killed in South Vietnam
Source: National Archives, The Sun (1966)
Britt Jr. Tell, age 22, from Craighead County Jonesboro, Arkansas .
Parents: Elnora Watkins
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Thursday, May 5, 1966
Death details: Died in Vietnam from hepetitiis and malaria.
Source: National Archives, The Sun (1966)
Charles Edwin Beaty, age 26, from Arkansas, Craighead county.
Parents: Eva Howard
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Sunday, December 3, 1950
Death details: On the evening of November 27, 1950, Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) launched a massive 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. At the time of the initial CCF attack, members of the U.S. Army’s 31st and 32nd Infantry Regiments were defending the area north of Sinhung-ni, on the east side of the reservoir. The defenders were overwhelmed by the numerically superior CCF, and on December 1 were forced to withdraw to friendly lines at Hagaru-ri. Many men were lost or captured during the withdraw, with survivors reaching friendly lines in Hagaru-ri on December 2 and 3. Once at Hagaru-ri, the survivors of the withdrawal manned a section of the perimeter near East Hill, a strong defensive position overlooking the town. On the night of December 3, the Chinese attacked the Hagaru-ri perimeter and overwhelmed the defenders there. Many Americans were killed or went missing during these actions. Sergeant Charles Edwin Beaty entered the U.S. Army from Arkansas and was a member of I Company, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. On December 3, 1950, he went missing in action near Hagaru-ri, though specific details surrounding his loss are unknown. His remains have not been identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Sergeant Beaty is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Wilmington Daily Press Journal (1951)
Billy J. Schaeffer, age 19, from Craighead County Jonesboro, Arkansas .
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Thursday, October 18, 1945
Death details: Died in the crash of a B-24 training plane in Texas
Source: National Archives, Houston Chronicle (1945), The Sun (1945)
Lloyd Lynn Livingston, age 19, from Jonesboro, Arkansas, Craighead 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. Private Lloyd Lynn Livingston entered the U.S. Marine Corps from Tennessee and served in Company G, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division. He was killed in action on Betio Island on November 20, 1943, during the Battle of Tarawa. His remains were buried in Cemetery #33, Main Marine Cemetery, on Betio but after the war his remains were not recovered. Today, Private Livingston is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency