Casey L. Hills, age 23, from Salem, Illinois, Marion county. Their last known residence was in Salem.
Service era: Iraq
Military history: 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry Regiment, Pago Pago, American Samoa.
Date of death: Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Death details: Died in Iraq of injuries sustained during a vehicle roll-over.
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
Torrey Louis Gray, age 19, from Patoka, Illinois, Marion county.
Service era: Iraq
Military history: L Co, 3D Bn, 4Th Mar, 1St Mar Div, Twentynine Palms, California
Date of death: Sunday, April 11, 2004
Death details: killed April 11 by hostile gunfire in Anbar province, Iraq.
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
John Michael Wike, age 19, from Centralia, Illinois, Marion county.
Parents: John L. Wike
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Thursday, February 26, 1970
Death details: Non-hostile, died from illness in South Vietnam
Source: National Archives, Associated Press (1970)
Charles Edward Bone, age 19, from Marion County Fairfield, Illinois .
Parents: Oscar Bone
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Friday, December 1, 1950
Death details: By mid-November 1950, U.S. and Allied forces had advanced to within approximately sixty miles of the Yalu River, the border between North Korea and China. On November 25, approximately 300,000 Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) “volunteers” suddenly and fiercely counterattacked after crossing the Yalu. The 2nd Infantry Division, located the farthest north of units at the Chongchon River, could not halt the CCF advance and was ordered to withdraw to defensive positions at Sunchon in the South Pyongan province of North Korea. As the division pulled back from Kunu-ri toward Sunchon, it conducted an intense rearguard action while fighting to break through well-defended roadblocks set up by CCF infiltrators. The withdrawal was not complete until December 1, and the 2nd Infantry Division suffered extremely heavy casualties in the process. Corporal Charles Edward Bone, who joined the U.S. Army from Illinois, served with Battery A, 82nd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He went missing in action on December 1, 1950, as his unit was attempting to fight through a CCF roadblock near Kunu-ri, though specific details regarding his loss are unknown. No one saw him fall, and he was never reported as a prisoner of war. The area where he went missing remained in enemy hands throughout the war, so U.S. forces were unable to search for him. After the war, his remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody. Corporal Bone 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, Belleville Daily Advocate (1954)
Merritt L. Wynn, age 31, from Illinois, Marion county.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Sunday, November 26, 1950
Death details: Master Sgt. Merritt L. Wynn, 31, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for Aug. 26, 2022. In late 1950, Wynn was a member of K Company, 3rd Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Nov. 26, while during fighting with the Chinese People’s Volunteer Forces east of Unsan, North Korea. Wynn was awarded the Silver Star for his leadership and bravery that day. Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered, and there is no evidence that he was ever a prisoner of war. Wynn was declared nonrecoverable on Jan. 16, 1956.
Source: National Archives, Defnese POW/MIA Accounting Agency
George Eugene Hartwell, age 38, from Marion County Carlyle, Illinois .
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Unknown
Death details: By mid-November 1950, U.S. and Allied forces had advanced to within approximately sixty miles of the Yalu River, the border between North Korea and China. On November 25, approximately 300,000 Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) “volunteers” suddenly and fiercely counterattacked after crossing the Yalu. The 2nd Infantry Division, located the farthest north of units at the Chongchon River, could not halt the CCF advance and was ordered to withdraw to defensive positions at Sunchon in the South Pyongan province of North Korea. As the division pulled back from Kunu-ri toward Sunchon, it conducted an intense rearguard action while fighting to break through well-defended roadblocks set up by CCF infiltrators. The withdrawal was not complete until December 1, and the 2nd Infantry Division suffered extremely heavy casualties in the process. Master Sergeant George Eugene Hartwell, who joined the U.S. Army from Illinois, served with B Company, 2nd Engineer Combat Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured by enemy forces on December 1, 1950, as his unit was withdrawing from Kunu-ri to Sunchon, and was marched with a large group of prisoners to Camp 5, Pyoktong, North Korea. He died there of malnutrition and dysentery at an unspecified date several weeks after he arrived. Records indicate that he was buried at Camp 5; however his remains have not been recovered. Master Sergeant Hartwell is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Streator Times Press (1951)