Lafayette County Mississippi

Williams, James Ellis
Air Force Chief master sergeant

James Ellis Williams, age 26, from Lafayette County Oxford, Mississippi .

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Sunday, May 15, 1966
Death details: On November 24, 1999, Joint Task Force-Full Accounting (JTF-FA, now DPAA) identified the remains of Chief Master Sergeant James Ellis Williams, missing from the Vietnam War. Chief Master Sergeant Williams entered the U.S. Air Force from Mississippi and was a member of the 4th Air Commando Squadron. He served as the flight engineer on board an AC-47D Spooky (serial number 43-49546) on an armed reconnaissance mission departing from Da Nang Air Base in South Vietnam. While operating over Laos, the Spooky was shot down by enemy forces and Chief Master Sergeant Williams was killed. Hostile presence in the area prevented immediate recovery efforts. In 1997, a joint investigative team recovered remains which were later identified as those of Chief Master Sergeant Williams. Chief Master Sergeant Williams is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. His name is also inscribed along with all his fallen comrades on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Associated Press (1999), Webster Progress Times (1973)

Barry, Richard Hugh
Army Corporal

Richard Hugh Barry, age 21, from Mississippi, Lafayette county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, July 9, 1953
Death details: On July 6, 1953, a large Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) unit attacked and overran the U.S. Army outposts on Pork Chop Hill in an attempt to seize whatever territory possible before the impending armistice agreement. After fighting for the position for four days, on July 10, the 7th Infantry Division Commander determined that the CCF disregard for casualties and desire to hold the outpost outweighed the position’s tactical value, and ordered a withdrawal that was eventually completed on July 11. The U.S. never again controlled Pork Chop Hill, preventing thorough recovery efforts for those who were killed or went missing during the fighting. Sergeant Richard Hugh Barry entered the U.S. Army from Mississippi and was a member of Company C of the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He went missing during the action at Pork Chop Hill on July 9, though the exact circumstances surrounding his loss are unknown. His remains were not recovered, and he is still unaccounted for. Today, Sergeant Barry is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Back To Top