Larry Robert Jr Kuhns, age 24, from Austintown, Ohio, Mahoning county.
Service era: Iraq
Military history: Hhb, 2D Battalion, 17Th Field Artillery, (2Mef), Fort Carson, Colorado
Date of death: Monday, June 13, 2005
Death details: Hostile; Ar Ramadi, Iraq
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
Edward A. Johnston, age 22, from Mahoning County Struthers, Ohio .
Parents: Edwin and Mary Johnson
Spouse: Mary Johnson
Children: Daughter, 2
Service era: Beirut bombings
Schools: Struthers High (1978)
Date of death: Sunday, October 23, 1983
Death details: Among more than 200 military personnel killed in the terroist bombing of Marine headquarters in Beirut.
Source: White House Commission on Remembrance, Associated Press (1983)
Richard J. Knickerbocker, age 20, from Youngstown, Ohio, Mahoning county.
Children: Kelly Jo, 3 days
Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Youngstown South High graduate
Military history: 101st Airborne Division
Date of death: Friday, December 25, 1970
Death details: Died at an Army hospital after he was taken there December 14, 1970 with injuries from a mine.
Source: National Archives, Akron Beacon Journal, Associated Press (1970)
Robert Thomas Callan, age 20, from Youngstown, Ohio, Mahoning county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Wednesday, December 16, 1970
Death details: Hostile, South Vietnam
Source: National Archives, Associated Press (1970)
Michael Joseph Courtney, age 19, from Youngstown, Ohio, Mahoning county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Saturday, August 29, 1970
Death details: Hostile, South Vietnam
Source: National Archives, Associated Press (1970)
Francis Louis III Ware, age 20, from Youngstown, Ohio, Mahoning county.
Parents: Francis L. Ware Jr.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Friday, March 6, 1970
Death details: Hostile, South Vietnam
Source: National Archives, UPI (1970)
Gerald Edward Hull, age 27, from Youngstown, Ohio, Mahoning county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Sunday, February 15, 1970
Death details: Non-hostile, South Vietnam
Source: National Archives, Associated Press (1970)
John James Kos, age 21, from Canfield, Ohio, Mahoning county.
Parents: Leo Kos
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Monday, February 9, 1970
Death details: Hostile, South Vietnam
Source: National Archives, UPI (1970)
Andrew Jr. Polmaskitch, age 21, from Youngstown, Ohio, Mahoning county.
Parents: Andy Polmaskitch
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 Andrew Polmaskitch Jr. entered the U.S. Marine Corps from Ohio and served in Company M, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division. He was killed in action on November 20 during the Battle of Tarawa. Private First Class Polmaskitch was buried on Betio in Cemetery #11, Grave #6, Row #2, Plot #5, but after the war his remains were not identified among those disinterred from the island. Private First Class Polmaskitch is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Melvin Lenord Root, age 23, from Mahoning County Canfield, Ohio .
Parents: Virgil Riley Root
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Sunday, December 7, 1941
Death details: Killed aboard the USS Arizona. Remains not recovered.
Source: National Archives, Honolulu Star Advertiser (2016)