Laurel County Kentucky

Napier, Dustin P.
Army Private 1st class

Dustin P. Napier, age 20, from London, Kentucky, Laurel county.

Service era: Afghanistan
Schools: South Laurel High (2010)
Military history: 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Wainwright, Alaska.

Date of death: Sunday, January 8, 2012
Death details: Died in Zabul Province, Afghanistan of injuries sustained from enemy small-arms fire.

Source: Department of Defense, Military Times

Reilly, Thomas Jr
Marines Lance corporal

Thomas Reilly Jr., age 19, from London, Kentucky, Laurel county.

Service era: Iraq
Military history: C Co, 1St Bn, 3D Mar, 3D Mar Div, Kaneohe Bay, Hi

Date of death: Sunday, December 21, 2008
Death details: Hostile; Karmah, Iraq

Source: Department of Defense, Military Times

Hamlin, Christopher Neil
Army Staff Sergeant

Christopher Neil Hamlin, age 24, from London, Kentucky, Laurel county.

Service era: Iraq
Schools: North Laurel High (2001)
Military history: Company B, 1St Battalion, 5Th Cavalry, Fort Hood, Texas

Date of death: Friday, May 4, 2007
Death details: Hostile; Baghdad, Iraq. Killed by a roadside bomb.

Source: Department of Defense, Times Tribune, Echo Sentinel

Cornett, Lance Scott
Army Sergeant 1st class

Lance Scott Cornett, age 33, from London, Kentucky, Laurel county.

Service era: Iraq
Military history: Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Compound at Fort Benning, Georgia named in his honor.

Spouse: Sandra Cornett

Children: Brandy, Christopher, Brianna

School: Laurel County High graduate

Date of death: Friday, February 3, 2006
Death details: Hostile; Lake Tartar, Iraq. Died while engaged in a firefight with the enemy.

Source: Department of Defense, Military Times, U.S. Army

Lovins, Arnold
Army Specialist 4

Arnold Lovins, age 20, from London, Kentucky, Laurel county.

Parents: Charles L. Lovins

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Monday, August 9, 1971
Death details: Killed in action in Southeast Asia

Source: National Archives, Associated Press (1971)

Wells, Tinsley Jack Jr.
Army Specialist 4

Tinsley Jack Jr. Wells from London, Kentucky, Laurel county.

Parents: Tinsley J. Wells

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Friday, March 20, 1970
Death details: Killed in action in Vietnam

Source: National Archives, Associated Press (1970)

Creech, Phillip Gene
Army Corporal

Phillip Gene Creech, age 20, from London, Kentucky, Laurel county.

Spouse: Linda L. Creech

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Monday, March 2, 1970
Death details: Killed in action

Source: National Archives, Associated Press (1970)

Hyatt, Edward
Army Corporal

Edward Hyatt, age 21, from Kentucky, Laurel county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Friday, May 25, 1951
Death details: On May 25, 1951, elements of the 187th Regimental Combat Team (RCT) were assigned to secure a bridgehead on the Soyang River in South Korea. The RCT, bolstered by two companies of tanks, launched a counter-attack against Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) that had taken control of the river’s northern shore. Despite fierce enemy resistance, the 187th RCT successfully dislodged the CCF, and then began a cautious push northward in an attempt to locate and destroy other enemy forces. The 187th RCT was still engaged with CCF troops by the end of the day, and suffered several casualties over the course of the fighting.

Sergeant Edward Hyatt joined the U.S. Army from Kentucky and was a member of the Service Company, 187th RCT. He took part in the fighting on May 25, and was captured by the enemy at some point during the battles that day. He joined a group of prisoners who were marched north into North Korean territory. Sergeant Hyatt died of starvation in July 1951, when his group reached the Suan Mining Camp. His remains have not been recovered, and he was not identified among remains returned to U.S. custody after the war. Today, Sergeant 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

Adams, Alfred B.
Army Corporal

Alfred B. Adams from Kentucky, Laurel county.

Service era: Korea
Military history: 35th Infantry Regiment. Citation: The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) to Alfred B. Adams (RA15423301), Corporal [then Private First Class], U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy of the United Nations while serving with Company F, 2d Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. Corporal Adams distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action against enemy aggressor forces when his battalion launched an attack near Chinju, Korea, on 25 September 1950. On that date, Company F, on the left flank of the battalion, was nearing its objective when it was pinned down by heavy enemy automatic-weapons and small-arms fire. Corporal Adams, exposing himself to hostile fire, went to an advantageous position, set up his machine-gun, and delivered effective fire on the enemy until his ammunition was exhausted. Leaving his position, he ran across approximately forty yards of fire- swept terrain to help a wounded man to safety, and then returned to the dangerous area and evacuated another wounded comrade. When he observed that a platoon had launched an assault on the next ridge, Corporal Adams obtained ammunition, retrieved his machine-gun and, placing it in a new position on the forward slope of a hill, delivered such accurate and devastating fire on the enemy that the assaulting platoon was able to overrun and destroy them.

Date of death: Monday, November 27, 1950
Death details: Missing in action while fighting the enemy. Body not recovered

Source: National Archives, 35th Infantry Regiment Association

Boggs, Bish
Army Sergeant

Bish Boggs, age 38, from Laurel County Keavy, Kentucky .

Parents: Maudie Boggs

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Saturday, July 29, 1950
Death details: On July 28, 1950, members of the 3rd Battalion, 34th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, were in defensive positions near Kochang, South Korea, west of the Naktong River. They served as part of a defensive formation soon to be known as the Pusan Perimeter, meant to delay the North Korean People’s Army’s (NKPA) advance through South Korea long enough so that reinforcements could arrive at Pusan Harbor. That night, members of the 34th Infantry reported seeing a procession of enemy tanks and infantry assemble behind a roadblock west of Kochang. The next morning, this NKPA force attacked the 34th Infantry positions from two directions. Continuous enemy fire eventually forced the regiment to withdraw to the east; however, Company I was cut off by the NKPA. A counterattack was successful in rescuing all but one platoon from Company I, though many men were killed or went missing during these actions. Sergeant First Class Bish Boggs entered the U.S. Army from Kentucky and was a member of I Company, 3rd Battalion, 34th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He went missing in action during the fighting on July 29, though the exact circumstances surrounding his loss are unknown. He was never reported to be a prisoner of war, and his remains were not recovered following the war. Today, Sergeant First Class Boggs 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, Corbin Times Tribune (1950)

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