Anthony Botello, age 21, of Wilburton, Oklahoma
Service era: Operation Restore Hope (Somalia)
Date of death: Monday, January 25, 1993
Death details: Botello volunteered as the point man on a patrol looking for snipers who were firing on the Marines in Moga Dishu. He was shot and killed
Sources: White House Commission on Rememberance, Mamaronick Daily Times (1993)
Larry Coleman Knight, age 26, from Wilburton, Oklahoma, Latimer county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Thursday, April 9, 1970
Death details: On April 9, 1970, a, E-2A Hawkeye (bureau number 151711, call sign “Sun King 012”) carrying a crew of five took off from the aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea (CVA-43) in the Gulf of Tonkin on an administrative mission. About one mile ahead of the ship, “Sun King 012” declared it had a fire in the aft compartment. The aircraft then impacted the water and broke apart two to three miles ahead of the Coral Sea. An extensive search of the wreckage recovered the remains of one of “Sun King 012’s” crew members; however, the other four men aboard the aircraft are still unaccounted for. Lieutenant Larry Coleman Knight, who joined the U.S. Navy from Oklahoma, was a member of Carrier Early Warning Squadron 116. He was the copilot of “Sun King 012” when it went down, and was lost with the aircraft. His remains have not been recovered. Today, Lieutenant Knight is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. Based on all information available, DPAA assessed the individual’s case to be in the analytical category of Non-recoverable.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Isaac McCurtain, age 29, from Latimer County Red Oak, Oklahoma .
Parents: Osborn McCurtain
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Thursday, June 18, 1953
Death details: Killed in the crash of an Air Force C0124 Globemaster near Tokyo.
Source: United Press (1953), Haskell County Tribune (1953)
Earl T. Newsom from Wilburton, Oklahoma, Latimer county.
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Monday, December 18, 1944
Death details: He was aboard the destroyer USS Hull as it operated as part of the Fast Carrier Strike Force in the Philippine Sea. On December 17, 1944, the Hull was participating in refueling operations when the ships of its fueling group were engulfed by Typhoon Cobra. The Hull lost its ability to steer amid the enormous waves and began taking on water. The Hull eventually took on too much water to stay afloat and rolled and sank shortly before noon, on December 18. Sixty-two crew members were rescued, but a little more than two-hundred crew members were lost in the sinking.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Jack Andrew Stamper, age 22, from Latimer County Wilburton, Oklahoma .
Service era: World War II
Schools: Wilburton High
Date of death: Friday, September 22, 1944
Death details: Killed in action at Palau Islands
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Latgimer County News Democrat (1944)
Floyd V. Funderburgh from Oklahoma, Latimer county.
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Sunday, November 14, 1943
Death details: Finding of death
Cemetery: Zachary Taylor National
Source: National Archives, grave marker
Charles Michael Jr. Brislin, age 27, from Latimer County Wilburton, Oklahoma .
Parents: C. M Brislin
Spouse: Mildred Marie Brislin
Service era: World War II
Schools: Wilburton High graduate
Date of death: Sunday, March 1, 1942
Death details: Killed aboard the USS Houston when the ship was attacked traveling from Batavia to Java.
Cemetery: Manila American Cemetery
Source: National Archives, American Battle Monuments Commission, USSHouston.org, Latimer County News Democrat (1942)