Joplin Missouri

Cleaver, John J.
Army Staff sergeant

John J. Cleaver, age 36, from Joplin, Missouri

Parents: Ronald and Teresa Cleaver
Children: Collin and Aidan

Service era: Afghanistan
Schools: Galena High, Missouri; Henderson State University; Crowder College, Missouri
Military history: 782nd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Enlisted in Navy 1995, enlisted in Army June 2006.

Date of death: Thursday, November 19, 2009
Death details: Died with another soldier in Zabul Province, Afghanistan of wounds sustained when a suicide car-bomber attacked their unit.

This note from Teresa Cleaver on Jan. 3, 2022: In 2019, a portion of his ashes were launched from Kennedy Space Center attached to a satellite aboard a Falcon Heavy Rocket. I was there to watch! It was magnificent! I have never been so elated!
The satellite orbits the Earth 15-17 times a day for approx 25 years, so that many sunrises & sunsets each day. The just in case extra ashes were placed in the Banana River in Cape Canaveral. We had taken John there when he was 12 for a tour, so this was a return for us. The remainder of his ashes will be included at the foot of my coffin when I die. I am almost 70. We will be interred in a mausoleum at Ozark Memorial Cemetery in Joplin, MO, which was actually John’s home town. His father, Ron, is already there.

Source: Department of Defense, Tacoma News Tribune, Military Times

Brooks, Paul Faris
Army Staff Sergeant

Paul Faris Brooks, age 34, from Joplin, Missouri, Jasper county.

Parents: Barbara Brooks and Paul David Brooks
Spouse: Nicole Brooks
Children: Hayley, 14; Harmony, 11; Seth, 7; Logan, 6; Aiden, 5; Samara, 3; Denver, 2

Service era: Iraq
Schools: Jonesboro High
Military history: 935Th Aviation Support Battalion, Jefferson City, Mo

Date of death: Thursday, May 21, 2009
Death details: Hostile; Baghdad, Iraq
Cemetery: Missouri Veterans Cemetery at Springfield

Source: Department of Defense, Military Times, findagrave.com

Rickman, Dwight Gray
Marines Captain

Dwight Gray Rickman from Joplin, Missouri, Jasper county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: December 25, 1972
Death details: On December 25, 1972, he was the observer aboard an O-1 Bird Dog (tail number 51-12639, call sign “Hunter 24”) piloted by a member of the Vietnamese Air Force, on a low-level reconnaissance mission over South Vietnam. During the mission, radio contact with the aircraft was lost, and it failed to return to base. Search and rescue efforts were initiated but did not locate the aircraft or its crew.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

McCrea, Lawrence
Army Private 1st class

Lawrence McCrea, age 25, from Jasper County Joplin, Missouri .

Parents: Bertha M. Poole

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Tuesday, April 5, 1966
Death details: Non-hostile in South Vietnam.
Cemetery: Carver Memorial Park

Source: National Archives, Associated Press (1966), The Times (1966)

Sherman, Daniel L.
Army Private 1st class

Daniel L. Sherman, age 25, from Jasper County Joplin Missouri .

Spouse: Mary Sherman

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Saturday, January 1, 1966
Death details: Killed in action in Vietnam

Source: National Archives, Associated Press (1966)

Barnard, William Marion
Army Private

William Marion Barnard from Jasper County Joplin, Missouri .

Parents: William H. Barnard

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Unknown
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. Private First Class William Marion Barnard entered the U.S. Army from Missouri and was a member of L Company, 3rd Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. On February 12, 1951, he was taken as a prisoner of war (POW) by enemy forces at a roadblock near Saemal, South Korea, during the 38th Infantry Regiment’s withdrawal. Following his capture, he was marched with other POWs to holding camps along the Yalu River in North Korea. Private First Class Barnard died of unknown causes while still held captive, though the exact date and location of his loss were not recorded. U.S. investigators have not been able to access the area to search for his burial site, and he has not been associated with any of the remains returned to U.S. custody after the war. He is still unaccounted-for. Today, Private First Class Barnard 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, Kansas City Star (1951)

Back To Top