Farmer, James Gordon
Marines Master sergeant
James Gordon Farmer from Harlan County Wallins, Kentucky .
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Saturday, October 9, 1971
Source: National Archives
Farmer, James Gordon
Small, Samuel Oliver
Army Specialist 5
Samuel Oliver Small, age 24, from Evarts, Kentucky, Harlan county.
Spouse: Lyvita Small
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Monday, August 30, 1971
Death details: Killed in action
Source: National Archives, Associated Press (1971)
Taylor, Lee Roy
Marines Corporal
Lee Roy Taylor, age 25, from Coalgood, Kentucky, Harlan county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Wednesday, July 29, 1970
Source: National Archives
Collett, Robert Lee Jr.
Army Staff sergeant
Robert Lee Jr. Collett, age 20, from Ages, Kentucky, Harlan county.
Parents: Robert L. Collett Sr.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Friday, May 1, 1970
Cemetery: Ages Brookside
Source: National Archives, findagrave.com, Associated Press (1970)
Davis, Marcus Raymond
Army Staff sergeant
Marcus Raymond Davis, age 23, from Evarts, Kentucky, Harlan county.
Parents: Mr. and Mrs. Marcus R. Davis
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Saturday, April 4, 1970
Source: National Archives
Furgerson, James Murphy
Army Private 1st class
James Murphy Furgerson, age 20, from Evarts, Kentucky, Harlan county.
Parents: Judy F. Furgerson
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Sunday, March 29, 1970
Source: National Archives, Bowling Green Sentinel Tribune (1970)
Hyatt, Benab
Marines Private 1st class
Benab Hyatt, age 20, from Yancey, Kentucky, Harlan county.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Thursday, March 26, 1953
Death details: In late March 1953, elements of the 1st Marine Division manned a string of outposts along a 33-mile section of the main line of resistance on the Korean Peninsula, near the present-day Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The 1st Marine Division’s 5th Marine Regiment was responsible for three of these outposts, named Carson, Reno, and Vegas, or collectively “the Nevada Cities Complex.” On March 26, Chinese Communist Forces attacked all three outposts. Although Carson managed to stave off the assault, Reno and Vegas, which were more lightly manned, eventually succumbed to the enemy. Over 1,000 Marines were killed, wounded, or went missing during the attack on the Nevada Cities Complex. Private First Class Benab Hyatt joined the U.S. Marine Corps from Kentucky and was a member of Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. He went missing in action during the fighting at the Nevada Cities Complex on March 26, 1953. He was never reported to be a prisoner of war, and he was not identified among remains returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire. Today, Private First Class Hyatt is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Liford, Charles Edward
Army Private 1st class
Charles Edward Liford, age 21, from Kentucky, Harlan county.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Friday, October 24, 1952
Death details: In late October 1952, elements of the U.S. 32nd Infantry Regiment attacked Chinese forces on Hill 598 (often referred to as the Triangle Hill Complex) near Kumhwa, North Korea. Triangle Hill was composed of three high peaks, two of which were nicknamed “Pike’s Peak” and “Jane Russell.” If U.S. troops could push the Chinese off Triangle Hill, the Chinese would have to fall back to the next high defensible position. The initial U.S. assault was effective; however, the Chinese quickly counterattacked, sending wave after wave of troops against the 32nd’s positions on Pike’s Peak and Jane Russell. Chinese forces eventually re-established themselves on Pike’s Peak and U.S. troops were unable to dislodge them. Corporal Charles Edward Liford, who joined the U.S. Army from Kentucky, served with G Company, 2nd Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing on October 24 when Chinese troops attacked his unit’s defensive position on Hill 598. He was not seen to fall in battle and he was not reported to be a prisoner of war. The area of his loss did not return to the control of U.S. forces, precluding a search for his remains, and the terms of the ceasefire later placed the area inside the Demilitarized Zone. Corporal Liford’s remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire. Today, Corporal Liford is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Higgins, James Thomas
Army Corporal
James Thomas Higgins, age 20, from Kentucky, Harlan county.
Parents: Samuel E. Higgins
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Wednesday, November 1, 1950
Death details: On May 2, 2000, Joint Task Force-Full Accounting (JTF-FA, now DPAA) identified the remains of Sergeant James Thomas Higgins, missing from the Korean War. Sergeant Higgins, who entered the U.S. Army from Kentucky, served with Company E, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. On November 1, 1950, SGT Higgins was killed by a grenade explosion during combat with Chinese Communist Forces in Pyongan Province, North Korea. His remains were buried near the battlefield where he fell, but could not be recovered at the time. In 1997, U.S. analysts traveled to Pyong-an Province and excavated a burial site correlating to an area where the 8th Cavalry Regiment fought during the Korean War. The site yielded the commingled remains of four individuals along with military and other artifacts, and U.S. forensic analysts eventually identified SGT Higgins from among these remains.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Courier Journal (1950)
Griffith, Noah
Army Corporal
Noah Griffith from Kentucky, Harlan county.
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Tuesday, June 9, 1942
Death details: Following the Allied surrender on the Bataan Peninsula on April 9, 1942, the Japanese began the forcible transfer of American and Filipino prisoners of war to various prison camps in central Luzon, at the northern end of the Philippines. The largest of these camps was the notorious Cabanatuan Prison Camp. At its peak, Cabanatuan held approximately 8,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war that were captured during and after the Fall of Bataan. Camp overcrowding worsened with the arrival of Allied prisoners who had surrendered from Corregidor on May 6, 1942. Conditions at the camp were poor, with food and water extremely limited, leading to widespread malnutrition and outbreaks of malaria and dysentery. By the time the camp was liberated in early 1945, approximately 2,800 Americans had died at Cabanatuan. Prisoners were forced to bury the dead in makeshift communal graves, often completed without records or markers. As a result, identifying and recovering remains interred at Cabanatuan was difficult in the years after the war. Corporal Noah Griffith entered the U.S. Army Air Forces from Kentucky and served with the Headquarters Squadron of the 27th Bombardment Group in the Philippines during World War II. He was captured in Bataan following the American surrender on April 9, 1942, and died of dysentery on June 9, 1942, at the Cabanatuan Prison Camp in Nueva Ecija Province. He was buried in a communal grave in the camp cemetery along with other deceased American POWs; however, his remains could not be associated with any remains recovered from Cabanatuan after the war. Today, Corporal Griffith is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency