Levi E. Nuncio, age 24, from Harrisonburg, Virginia, Harrisonburg county.
Parents: Raul and Berta Nuncio
Service era: Afghanistan
Military history: 35th Infantry Regiment
Date of death: Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Death details: Killed by small arms fire, Kunar Province, Afghanistan
Source: Department of Defense, 35th Infantry Regiment Association
Brian M. Anderson, age 24, from Harrisonburg, Virginia, Harrisonburg county.
Service era: Afghanistan
Military history: 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, New York.
Date of death: Saturday, June 12, 2010
Death details: Died in Za Khel, Afghanistan of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his vehicle using an improvised explosive device.
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
Charles Venton McGovern, age 36, from Harrisonburg, Virginia, Harrisonburg county.
Spouse: Gracie E. McGovern
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Tuesday, November 10, 1970
Source: National Archives, Associated Press (1970)
Walter A. Forren, age 21, from Harrisonburg, Virginia, Harrisonburg county.
Parents: Lonnie A. Forren
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 Walter A. Forren, who entered the U.S. Marine Corps from Washington, D.C., served with Company D, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division. Private First Class Forren was wounded in action during the Battle of Tarawa on November 20, 1943. He was presumptively declared dead as of November 21, 1943. Today, Private First Class Forren is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency