Christopher Michael Hake, age 26, from Enid, Oklahoma, Garfield county.
Service era: Iraq
Military history: Company A, 4Th Battalion, 64Th Armor, 4 Bct, Fort Stewart, Georgia
Date of death: Monday, March 24, 2008
Death details: Vehicle blown up by a roadside bomb in Baghdad, Iraq
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
Clint Joseph Storey, age 30, from Enid, Oklahoma, Garfield county.
Service era: Iraq
Military history: Troop F, 1St Cavalry, 1 Bct (I Mef), Friedberg, Germany
Date of death: Friday, August 4, 2006
Death details: Hostile; Ar Ramadi, Iraq
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
Daniel Roberts Poynor, age 25, from Garfield County Enid, Oklahoma .
Parents: Paul Poynor
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Sunday, December 19, 1971
Death details: Killed in action
Source: National Archives, Associated Press (1971)
Robert Lee Porter, age 20, from Enid, Oklahoma, Garfield county.
Parents: Devoy Porter
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Sunday, September 6, 1970
Source: National Archives, Fort Worth Star Telegram (1970)
Donald Alan Krumrei, age 24, from Enid, Oklahoma, Garfield county.
Parents: Walter E. Krumrei
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Thursday, July 16, 1970
Source: National Archives, Fort Worth Star Telegram (1970)
George Walter Jr. Hart, age 25, from Oklahoma, Garfield county.
Spouse: Lois Hart
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Tuesday, June 12, 1951
Death details: On June 12, 1951, the destroyer USS Walke (DD-723) was providing anti-submarine protection to carriers from Task Force 77 off the east coast of Wonsan, North Korea, when it was struck on the port side by an enemy mine or torpedo. The force of the explosion tossed many sailors into the water, and those who were injured had a difficult time staying afloat while they waited for rescue. Twenty-six sailors were killed in the explosion and forty were wounded. Although the ship’s hull was heavily damaged, after the incident the Walke was able to proceed under its own power to Sasebo, Japan, for repairs. Of the men killed in the incident, the remains of eight could not be recovered. During repairs, the remains of seven sailors were recovered from flooded parts of the ship and identified. However, two of those men later became unaccounted-for due to unknown circumstances, so the total number of unaccounted-for sailors from the Walke now stands at ten. Boilerman First Class Leonard Harold Hansen, who joined the U.S. Navy from Nebraska, served aboard the Walke. He was killed in the June 12 explosion after his ship hit a mine, and his body was not recovered. Today, Boilerman First Class Hansen is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. Based on all information available, DPAA assessed the individual’s case to be in the analytical category of Non-recoverable.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Enid Events (1951)
Robert Evans Carpenter, age 20, from Garfield County Oklahoma.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Thursday, February 15, 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. Sergeant Robert Evans Carpenter, who joined the U.S. Army from Oklahoma, served with A Company, 2nd Engineer Combat Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He went missing in action on December 1, 1950, as he and his unit withdrew from Kunu-ri to Sunchon while under attack by the CCF. A former prisoner of war remembers seeing SGT Carpenter at Camp 5, Pyoktong, North Korea, and reports that SGT Carpenter died there on February 15, 1951; however, it is possible the account may have been about another prisoner with the last name of Carpenter. SGT Carpenter’s fate remains uncertain, and his remains have not been recovered. Today, Sergeant Carpenter is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
William R. Nicar, age 20, from Enid, Oklahoma, Garfield 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 First Class William R. Nicar, who joined the U.S. Marine Corps in Oklahoma, was a member of Company I, 3rd Marine Battalion, Second Marine Division. Private First Class Nicar was killed in action on 20 November and was buried in Cemetery #11, Grave #7, Row #3, Plot #1 on Tarawa. After the war, his remains could not be located. Private First Class Nicar is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Leonard Richard Geller, age 21, from Garfield County Covington, Oklahoma .
Parents: Floyd Geller
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Sunday, December 7, 1941
Death details: Killed aboard the USS Oklahoma. Accounted for January 9, 2018
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Enid Events (1942), Daily Oklahoman (2018)
William A. Perrin, age 27, from Garfield County Covington, Oklahoma .
Service era: World War I
Date of death: Tuesday, September 17, 1918
Death details: Died of wounds
Source: Soldiers of the Great War