Wayne Emerick Jr. Walsh, age 19, from Fairbank, Pennsylvania, Fayette county.
Parents: Wayne E. Walsh Sr. and Dorothy Newcomer Walsh
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Saturday, August 8, 1970
Death details: Hostile, killed in South Vietnam.
Source: National Archives, Uniontown Evening Standard (1970)
Francis Ray Addis, age 21, from Connellsville, Pennsylvania, Fayette county.
Parents: Edward Addis
Spouse: None
Children: None
Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Connellsville Area High (1968)
Military history: Troope A, 1st Battalion, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment
Date of death: Friday, June 19, 1970
Death details: Killed in Cambodia when caught in cross-fire.
Source: National Archives, Uniontown Evening Standard (1970)
Ricky Edward Persely, age 19, from Masontown, Pennsylvania, Fayette county.
Parents: Mr.s James (Edna) Elias, Edward Persely
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Monday, June 1, 1970
Death details: Hostile, killed in South Vietnam.
Cemetery: Masontown
Source: National Archives, Evening Standard (1970)
Paul James Francis, age 30, from Connellsville, Pennsylvania, Fayette county.
Parents: V. J. Lajeunesse
Children: Christopher, 2
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Saturday, March 28, 1970
Death details: Killed in action in Vietnam
Source: National Archives, Akron Beacon Journal (1970)
John Paul Wanto, age 21, from Hibbs, Pennsylvania, Fayette county.
Parents: Edna W. Wanto
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Saturday, March 21, 1970
Death details: Hostile, killed in South Vietnam.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Morning Herald (1970)
Robert C. Shumar from Brownsville, Pennsylvania, Fayette county.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Friday, March 21, 1958
Death details: Killed when the H-19 helicopter he wasw aboard crashed near Seoul, South Korea
Source: UP (1970)
Robert C. Shumar, age 32, from Brownsville, Pennsylvania, Fayette county.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Friday, March 21, 1958
Death details: Killed when the H-19 helicopter he wasw aboard crashed near Seoul, South Korea
Source: UP (1970)
Harry Allen Marshall, age 23, from Pennsylvania, Fayette county.
Parents: Jack Marshall
Spouse: Dorothy Marshall
Children: Rita Ann, 2
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Thursday, November 2, 1950
Death details: During the last week of October 1950, Republic of Korea (ROK) Army forces under the control of the U.S. Eighth Army were advancing deep in North Korean territory, approaching the Yalu River on the Chinese-Korean border. Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) struck back in a surprise attack, engaging the ROK 1st and 6th Divisions near Unsan, some sixty miles north of Pyongyang. The U.S. 1st Cavalry Division, with the 8th Cavalry Regiment in the lead, was rushed forward to reinforce the ROK units in the Unsan area. On November 1, the regiment’s 1st Battalion took up positions north of Unsan, while the 2nd Battalion moved to guard the Nammyon River valley west of town, and the 3rd Battalion was placed in reserve at the valley’s southern end. Sergeant First Class Harry A. Marshall, who joined the U.S. Army from Pennsylvania, was a member of Company B of the 70th Tank Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division, and his platoon was attached to the 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment. On November 1, the CCF engaged in a sneak attack on U.S. forces in defensive positions near Unsan. Despite fierce resistance, the American battalions were forced to withdraw. Strong Chinese presence in the area cut off the 3rd Battalion from its exit routes, so its members formed two pockets of resistance. The men held out against the CCF for two days before their position was overrun. Most of the trapped men were killed, wounded, or captured, with the remainder escaping in small groups. Sergeant First Class Marshall appears to have been killed on November 2, during the 3rd Battalion’s defensive operations. Survivors of the incident report that he was aboard a tank that was destroyed by antitank fire; however, these claims have not been confirmed. Sergeant First Class Marshall was not recovered at the time of his loss, and he could not be associated with any of the remains that North Korean officials returned to U.S. custody following the declaration of the ceasefire. Today, Sergeant First Class Marshall is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Uniontown Evening Standard
Peter William Simon, age 34, from Pennsylvania, Fayette county.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Tuesday, September 5, 1950
Death details: On January 11, 2018, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Private First Class Pete William Simon, missing from the Korean War. Private First Class Simon joined the U.S. Army from Pennsylvania and was a member of G Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. On September 3, 1950, he was killed in action against North Korean People’s Army forces south of Tabu-dong, South Korea. Search efforts conducted in the area once it returned to Allied control later that month failed to locate PFC Simon’s remains. In May 1951, American Graves Registration Personnel recovered a set of remains near Hill 762 in South Korea. The remains could not be identified at the time, and were buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific as unknowns. In 2017, these remains were reexamined and identified as those of PFC Simon. Private First Class Simon 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
Thomas Richard Wilcosky from Pennsylvania, Fayette county.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Sunday, July 16, 1950
Death details: On the evening of July 15, 1950, the U.S. Army’s 19th Infantry Regiment held defensive positions along the south bank of the Kum River. As dusk approached, North Korean People’s Army (NKPA) tanks appeared on the opposite shore and began firing on the U.S. positions. Although U.S. troops repulsed the attacks that evening, the next morning the NKPA crossed the river and launched a major attack against the 19th Regiment. As the regiment began withdrawing south to Taejon, the North Koreans pushed deep into their defensive lines and set up a roadblock en route to Taejon. When retreating American convoys could not break through the roadblock, soldiers were forced to leave the road and attempt to make their way in small groups across the countryside. Of the 900 soldiers in the 19th Infantry when the Battle of Kum River started, only 434 made it to friendly lines. Private First Class Thomas Richard Wilcosky entered the U.S. Army from Pennsylvania and served with Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He went missing in action on July 16, 1950, during the Battle of Kum River, while attempting to break through an enemy roadblock south to Taejon. Exact circumstances surrounding his loss are unknown, and he was never reported to be a prisoner of war. He remains unaccounted for. Today, Private First Class Wilcosky is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency