Promote & Preserve stories of U.S. fallen soldiers/sailors
Benjamin F. Bitner, age 37, from Greencastle, Pennsylvania, Franklin county.
Service era: Afghanistan
Military history: 2nd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Date of death: Saturday, April 23, 2011
Death details: Died in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device.
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
Michael L. Jr. Freeman, age 21, from Fayetteville, Pennsylvania, Franklin county.
Parents: Michael Freeman Sr.
Service era: Afghanistan
Schools: Chambersburg Area High (2008)
Spouse: Stephanie, 18 (married October 2009)
Military history: 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Enlisted 2008. Purple Heart
Date of death: Monday, February 1, 2010
Death details: Died while supporting combat operations in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
Source: Department of Defense, Chambersburg Public Opinion, Military Times
Aaron Micheal Genevie, age 22, from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, Franklin county.
Service era: Iraq – Operation Iraqi Freedom
Military history: Troop B, 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry, Fort Riley, Ks
Date of death: Monday, April 16, 2007
Death details: Hostile, died in Baghdad, Iraq
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
Edward William Shaffer, age 23, from Mont Alto, Pennsylvania, Franklin county.
Service era: Iraq – Operation Iraqi Freedom
Military history: Company B, 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry, (Imet) Ray Barracks, Giessen, Ge
Date of death: Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Death details: Hostile, died in San Antonio, United States
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
Roger Alan Barnhart, age 21, from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, Franklin county.
Parents: Mary Yohe Barnhart and preceded in death by Morman Leslie Barnhart
Service era: Vietnam
Military history: Company C, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Division
Date of death: Saturday, December 12, 1970
Death details: Died from fragmentation wounds to the head and body after a grenade was accidentally dropped while returning from a patrol.
Source: National Archives, Chambersburg Public Opinion, Associated Press (1970)
Jay Thomas Diller, age 21, from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, Franklin county.
Parents: Clarence L. Diller
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Wednesday, May 6, 1970
Death details: Hostile, killed in South Vietnam.
Cemetery: Norland
Source: National Archives, Chambersburg Public Opinion (1970)
Steven Orlando Dile, age 21, from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, Franklin county.
Parents: Martha Ann Dile and preceded in death by David Dile
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Wednesday, January 28, 1970
Death details: Silver Star citation: The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918 (amended by an act of July 25, 1963), takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously) to Sergeant Steven Orlando Dile (ASN: RA-11732019), United States Army, for gallantry in action in the Republic of Vietnam on 28 January 1970. Sergeant Dile distinguished himself while serving as a fire team leader in Company B, 3d Battalion (Airmobile), 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile), on a reconnaissance in force mission near Landing Zone ENGLISH, Binh Dinh Province, Republic of Vietnam. While the friendly element was reconnoitering enemy locations they encountered heavy automatic weapons, small arms, and grenade fire from a well-concealed platoon of North Vietnamese Army soldiers. Braving the hostile fire, Sergeant Dile immediately crawled to the front of his element and learned that his platoon leader was seriously wounded. Realizing the necessity of control, Sergeant Dile took command of the platoon, organizing his comrades and guiding them in a counterattack. Disregarding his own safety, he leveled a base of fire to cover and protect his fallen comrades from the enemy attack. He then moved into an unprotected position to draw fire away from the Medical Aidman who was attempting to reach the wounded personnel. Directing his men and covering the Medical Aidman, Sergeant Dile was wounded by small arms fire. Ignoring his injury, he moved forward to aid in bringing his wounded comrades to safety. He remained behind to spray the enemy positions with rifle fire and provide cover as his comrades withdrew. With his complete unselfishness and outstanding leadership, he kept his comrades together and prevented the remainder of the element from receiving further casualties. Sergeant Dile’s personal bravery and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit and the United States Army.
Source: National Archives, Public Opinion (1970), Military Times
Robert Earl Meyers, age 18, from Franklin County Greencastle, Pennsylvania .
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Friday, December 1, 1950
Death details: On September 4, 2015, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Corporal Robert Earl Meyers, missing from the Korean War. Corporal Meyers, who joined the U.S. Army from Pennsylvania, was a member of A Company, 2nd Engineer Combat Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. On December 1, 1950, he went missing in action while fighting through an enemy roadblock near Sonchu, North Korea. In September 1954, North Korean officials returned a set of remains to U.S. custody that included those of CPL Meyers; however, the remains could not be identified at the time and were buried as unknowns at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. Advances in forensic technology eventually prompted the re-analysis and identification of CPL Meyer’s remains. Corporal Meyers is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Cemetery: Arlington National (buried Oct. 26, 2015)
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Chambersburg Public Opinion (2015)
Raymond Leroy Woodring from Pennsylvania, Franklin county.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Unknown
Death details: On July 11, 1950, the U.S. Army’s 21st Infantry Regiment, which had arrived in Korea six days earlier, was placed in defensive positions near the town of Chochiwon, South Korea. The regiment was not at full strength and lacked artillery and anti-tank weapons. That day, they were attacked by North Korean forces and were forced to withdraw to avoid being surrounded, as well as to buy time until they could be reinforced and resupplied. Corporal Raymond Leroy Woodring, who joined the U.S. Army from Pennsylvania, served with I Company, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He was captured by enemy forces north of Chochiwon on July 12 and was marched with other prisoners toward the Apex prison camps in North Korea. He died en route on an unspecified day as his group of prisoners moved through Chasong Pass, but the other prisoners were not allowed to stop long enough to bury him. His remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the war, and he is still unaccounted for. Today, Corporal Woodring is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency