Chris N. Staats, age 32, from Fredericksburg, Texas.
Service era: Afghanistan
Military history: 143rd Infantry Detachment, Austin, Texas.
Date of death: Friday, October 16, 2009
Death details: Died in Wardak Province, Afghanistan of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device.
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
Phillip Isaac Neel, age 27, from Fredericksburg, Texas, Gillespie county.
Service era: Iraq
Military history: Troop A, 3D Squadron, 8Th Cavalry, Fort Hood, Tx
Date of death: Sunday, April 8, 2007
Death details: Hostile; Balad, Iraq
Source: Department of Defense, West Point
Guenther August Burrer, age 23, from Gillespie County Fredericksburg, Texas .
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Tuesday, May 15, 1951
Death details: On February 5, 1951, Allied forces in Korea launched an offensive against North Korean and Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) north of Wonju. Republic of Korea units and the 38th Infantry Regiment and supporting artillery units, including the 15th and 503rd Field Artillery Battalions, and the 82nd Antiaircraft Artillery and Automatic Weapons Battalion, initially met light resistance on their drive to the north. On February 11, the CCF launched an aggressive counteroffensive that caused the Allies to withdraw back southward. However, the CCF had established a series of roadblocks on the road to the south, forcing the Allies to fight their way back to friendly lines. Master Sergeant Guenther August Burrer entered the U.S. Army from Texas and was a member of Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. On February 12, 1951, he was clearing a roadblock along the Hongchon-Wonju highway near Hoensong, South Korea, when he was wounded and taken as a POW. After his capture, he was marched toward prisoner holding camps along the Yalu River in North Korea. MSG Burrer reportedly died of his wounds and beriberi on May 15, while held in a schoolhouse along the route, and was buried nearby. U.S. investigators have not been able to access this location to search for his remains, and he has not been associated with any remains returned to U.S. custody after the war. Today, Master Sergeant Burrer is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. His name is also inscribed on the Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC, which was updated in 2022 to include the names of the fallen.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, San Antonio Express News (1954)
Kermit Karl Koch from Texas, Gillespie county.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Thursday, May 3, 1951
Death details: On July 5, 1950, Task Force Smith, the first U.S. ground element to engage North Korean People’s Army (NKPA) troops, was defending a position north of Osan, South Korea. The Task Force’s goal was to delay enemy forces by blocking their movement down the road south from Suwon to Taejon, which was a major avenue of advance for the NKPA. That morning, the Task Force was engaged by a column of enemy tanks. The anti-tank weapons that the infantrymen employed were ineffective, and a large number of tanks broke through their position. Task Force Smith was forced to withdraw to the south, suffering heavy casualties in the process. Private First Class Kermit Karl Koch, who joined the U.S. Army from Texas, served with the Medical Company, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. Part of Task Force Smith, he was captured on July 5 and forced to march to the Apex prison camps in North Korea. He died of malnutrition at the camp at An-dong on May 3, 1951, and was buried by his companions nearby. His remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire. Today, Private First Class Koch is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Albert H. Geistweidt, age 23, from Gillespie County Doss, Texas .
Service era: World War I
Date of death: Thursday, October 3, 1918
Death details: Killed in action
Source: Soldiers of the Great War