Promote & Preserve stories of U.S. fallen soldiers/sailors
Prince Kao Teewia, age 27, from Durham, North Carolina, Durham county.
Service era: Iraq
Military history: Hhc, 1St Battalion, 506Th Infantry, Fort Campbell, Ky
Date of death: Thursday, December 29, 2005
Death details: Hostile; Baghdad, Iraq
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
Brian Edward Anderson, age 26, from Durham, North Carolina, Durham county.
Service era: Iraq
Military history: 2D Lar Bn, 2D Mardiv, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina
Date of death: Wednesday, April 2, 2003
Death details: killed in a non-hostile accident west of An Nasiriyah, Iraq. Anderson was manning a . 50 caliber rifle on top of a 7-ton truck when the vehicle passed under and apparently snagged low hanging power lines.
Source: Department of Defense, U.S. Navy, Military Times
William Edward Boone, age 28, from Durham, North Carolina, Durham county.
Parents: Robert L. Boone
Spouse: Pecolia Boone
Children: Robert Melvin and Sonya Boone
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Monday, October 12, 1970
Death details: Killed in action in Vietnam
Source: National Archives, Durham Sun (1970)
Curvin Clayton, age 20, from Durham, North Carolina, Durham county.
Spouse: Daisy M. Clayton
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Sunday, September 13, 1970
Source: National Archives, Raleigh News Observer (1970)
Franklin Graham Scoggins, age 20, from Durham, North Carolina, Durham county.
Parents: Leo R. Scoggins
Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Jordan High graduate
Date of death: Sunday, July 5, 1970
Death details: Accidently killed in Vietnam while repairing an Army vehicle
Source: National Archives, Durham Herald Sun (1970)
Edward Jr. Jackson, age 33, from Durham, North Carolina, Durham county.
Spouse: Helga (Sauthaer
Children: Andrers and Manula Jackson
Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Hillside High
Date of death: Friday, May 1, 1970
Cemetery: Beechwood
Source: National Archives, Durham Herald Sun (1970)
Hugh John Drennen, age 23, from Durham County Durham, North Carolina .
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Wednesday, February 28, 1951
Death details: By mid-November 1950, U.S. and Allied forces had advanced to within approximately sixty miles of the Yalu River, the border between North Korea and China. On November 25, approximately 300,000 Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) “volunteers” suddenly and fiercely counterattacked after crossing the Yalu. The 2nd Infantry Division, located the farthest north of units at the Chongchon River, could not halt the CCF advance and was ordered to withdraw to defensive positions at Sunchon in the South Pyongan province of North Korea. As the division pulled back from Kunu-ri toward Sunchon, it conducted an intense rearguard action while fighting to break through well-defended roadblocks set up by CCF infiltrators. The withdrawal was not complete until December 1, and the 2nd Infantry Division suffered extremely heavy casualties in the process. Master Sergeant Hugh John Drennen, who joined the U.S. Army from North Carolina, served with the Headquarters, Headquarters and Service Company, 2nd Engineer Combat Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured by enemy forces on November 30, 1950 as his unit withdrew from Kunu-ri to Sunchon. He and a group of other prisoners were held in a series of villages near the battle area for a few months while the enemy prepared holding camps large enough to contain the prisoners they had captured. Master Sergeant Drennen died of pneumonia in late January or early February, 1951. His remains have not been recovered. Today, Master Sergeant Drennen is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Herald Sun (2005)
Deward William Jr. Duncan from Durham, North Carolina, New Hanover county.
Parents: Mitchel L. Hutchins
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Wednesday, January 12, 1944
Death details: On May 17, 2018, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Seaman Second Class Deward W. Duncan Jr., missing from World War II. Seaman Second Class Duncan, who entered the U.S. Navy from Georgia, was attached to Aviation, Construction, Ordnance, Repair, Navy 14, Standard Landing Craft Unit 4, and was stationed on Betio, following the capture of Tarawa Atoll. On January 12, 1944, S2 Duncan was killed during a Japanese air raid over Betio. He was buried in a cemetery on Betio, but his remains could not be identified from among the remains recovered from Betio after the war. In 2017, the independent investigative group History Flight, in partnership with DPAA, located a grave site on Betio and recovered human remains. DPAA analysts identified S2 Duncan from among these remains.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Phillip Isom Doss, age 22, from Durham, North Carolina, Guilford county.
Parents: Charlie Peoples Bass
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 First Class Phillip Ison Doss, who entered the U.S. Marine Corps from North Carolina, served with Company B, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division. He was killed in action fighting Japanese forces on Tarawa on November 20 and buried on Betio Island. After the war, his remains could not be located. Today, Private First Class Doss is memorialized in the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Donald Lanford Drum, age 22, from Durham, North Carolina, Catawba county.
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Sunday, December 7, 1941
Death details: On the morning of December 7, 1941, during the attack on Pearl Harbor, the USS West Virginia (BB-48) was moored outboard from the USS Tennessee (BB-43). Five 18-inch aircraft torpedoes and two armor piercing bombs converted from 16-inch naval shells hit the West Virginia in its port side. The first bomb punctured the ship’s deck, causing it to collapse. The second was a dud, though it ignited aircraft fuel and sent billows of toxic smoke into the air. The enemy bombs and torpedoes killed and wounded many of those on board the battleship. While the extensive damage to the hull caused the West Virginia to sink, the crew’s efforts to keep it from capsizing meant the battleship could be salvaged, and it managed to return to service later in the war. Fireman Second Class Donald Landford Drum, who entered the U.S. Navy from North Carolina, served aboard the West Virginia at the time of the Pearl Harbor attack. He was lost during the sinking and his remains have not been recovered. Today, Fireman Second Class Drum is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, findagrave.com