Jeffrey L. Rice, age 24, from Troy, Ohio, Miami county.
Service era: Afghanistan
Military history: 20th Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas.
Date of death: Thursday, July 19, 2012
Death details: Died in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
Marc L. Cole, age 19, from Miami County Ludlow Falls, Ohio .
Parents: Robert and Sandra Cole
Service era: Beirut bombings
Schools: Milton Union High (1982)
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, Dayton Daily News (1983)
Robert Edward Jr. Lutz, age 34, from Miami County Troy, Ohio .
Parents: Robert E. Lutz
Spouse: Ann
Children: Robert III, John, Maryann
Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Boys Town (1955), Auburn University (1964)
Date of death: Wednesday, February 9, 1972
Death details: Hostile, South Vietnam
Source: National Archives, Troy Daily News (1972)
Steven Dale Karnehm, age 22, from Piqua, Ohio, Miami county.
Parents: Von Dale Karnehm
Spouse: Jackie
Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Piqua Central High (1968), Miami Jacobs College in Dayton (1969)
Military history: 1st Aviation Brigade
Date of death: Monday, September 27, 1971
Death details: Non-hostile, South Vietnam
Source: National Archives, Dayton Daily News (1971)
William Lester Wilhelm, age 22, from Covington, Ohio, Miami county.
Parents: Lowell E. Wilhelm
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Sunday, September 6, 1970
Death details: Hostile, South Vietnam
Source: National Archives, Associated Press (1970), Fort Worth Star Telegram (1970)
Kenneth Stephen Vore, age 25, from Casstown, Ohio, Miami county.
Parents: Clyde Vore
Spouse: Karen
Children: Kimberly Sue, Kathleen Suzan, Krristina Sue
Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Miami East High (1962)
Date of death: Wednesday, May 20, 1970
Death details: Hostile, Cambodia
Cemetery: Maple Hill
Source: National Archives, Piqua Daily Call (1970)
Harry Andrew Cotterman, age 19, from Piqua, Ohio, Miami county.
Parents: Harry and Helen Cotterman
Spouse: None
Children: None
Service era: Vietnam
Schools: North Street and Springcreek schools
Date of death: Saturday, May 16, 1970
Death details: Killed in South Vietnam when a high voltage wire fell on his truck
Source: National Archives, Piqua Daily Call (1970)
Charles Marion Koon, age 19, from Piqua, Ohio, Miami county.
Parents: Robert F. and Mary Ellen Conroy Koon
Spouse: Margaret (Shellenberg)
Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Piqua Catholic High (1968), Bowling Green State University
Date of death: Tuesday, May 12, 1970
Death details: Hostile, Cambodia
Source: National Archives, Dayton Daily News (1970), Sidney Daily News (1970)
Robert Hilliard Hanke, age 18, from Miami County Ohio.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Monday, April 30, 1951
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. Private First Class Robert Hilliard Hanke, who joined the U.S. Army from Ohio, served with Battery B, 38th Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured by enemy forces on November 30, 1950, as his unit made a fighting withdrawal from Kunu-ri south to Sunchon. He was marched as a prisoner of war to POW Camp 5 at Pyoktong, where he died of malnutrition on or about April 30, 1951. His companions buried him at the camp, however, his remains have not been identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the war. Today, Private First Class Hanke 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
Andy Kendrovics from Tipp City, Ohio, Miami county.
Spouse: Hallie Kendrovics
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