New Hanover County North Carolina

Butler, Thomas J.
Army Sergeant

Thomas J. Butler, age 25, from Wilmington, North Carolina, New Hanover county.

Service era: Afghanistan
Military history: 514th Military Police Company, 60th Troop Command, Winterville, North Carolina.

Date of death: Monday, October 1, 2012
Death details: Died when an insurgent detonated a suicide vest while he was on dismounted patrol. Killed were Sgt. Thomas J. Butler IV, Sgt. Jeremy F. Hardison, Sgt. Donna R. Johnson.
Cemetery: Wilmington National

Source: Department of Defense, Military Times

Kramer, Edward C.
Army Sergeant 1st class

Edward C. Kramer, age 39, from Wilmington, North Carolina, New Hanover county. Their last known residence was in Wilmington.

Service era: Iraq
Military history: 120th Combined Arms Battalion, Wilmington, North Carolina.

Date of death: Monday, June 29, 2009
Death details: Died from wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq.

Source: Department of Defense, Military Times

Smith, John Mcclellan
Army Sergeant

John Mcclellan Smith, age 22, from Wilmington, North Carolina, New Hanover county.

Service era: Iraq
Military history: Troop E, 2D Sqd, 11Th Armored Cav Regiment, (Tf Olympia), Fort Irwin, Ca

Date of death: Thursday, May 12, 2005
Death details: Hostile; Baghdad, Iraq

Source: Department of Defense, Military Times

Carrasquillo, Jocelyn Luis
Army Specialist

Jocelyn Luis Carrasquillo, age 28, from Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, New Hanover county.

Service era: Iraq

Parent: Isabel Salgado Carrasquillo

Military history: Hhc 1St Battalion / 120Th Infantry Regiment (M), Wilmington, North Carolina

Date of death: Saturday, March 13, 2004
Death details: Hostile; Tampa, Iraq. Killed when an improvised explosive device hit his vehicle on the main supply route.

Source: Department of Defense, Military Times

Reese, Dennis Edward
Army Specialist 4

Dennis Edward Reese, age 20, from Wilmington, North Carolina, New Hanover county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Monday, October 26, 1970
Death details: Non-hostile death

Source: National Archives, Charlotte Observer (1970)

Brown, Ernest James
Navy Fireman

Ernest James Brown, age 20, from Wilmington, North Carolina, New Hanover county.

Parents: Zennie Ernest Brown
Spouse: Louise Anita LeGwin Brown

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Wednesday, March 25, 1970
Death details: Died in Vietnam

Source: National Archives, Raleigh News and Observer (1970)

Dixon, Richard G.
Army Staff sergeant

Richard G. Dixon from North Carolina, New Hanover county.

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Sunday, June 4, 1944
Death details: On May 17, 1944, U.S. and Chinese troops began the siege of Myitkyina, Burma. The town, which was occupied by the Japanese, possessed a strategically vital airstrip that would allow supplies and aerial support to reach troops fighting in difficult jungle terrain of the China-Burma-India Theater. While Chinese units comprised the majority of the ground combat troops, the U.S. Army’s 5307th Composite Unit, also known as Merrill’s Marauders, was also active in the fighting. The Japanese were able to defend the town until August 3, 1944, when their remaining men were ordered to withdraw. Hard fighting, difficult terrain, and the outbreak of disease led to significant casualties among the Chinese and American units that fought to take control of the town. Staff Sergeant Richard G. Dixon entered the U.S. Army from North Carolina and served in the 236th Engineer Combat Battalion. During the fighting in and around Myitkyina, the 236th Engineer Combat Battalion’s members fought as infantry for 59 days on the front lines, in constant contact with the enemy. SSG Dixon was killed on June 4, 1944, near the village of Namkwi, Burma. The exact circumstances of his loss are unknown. His remains have not been recovered or identified following the war, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Staff Sergeant Dixon is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Duncan, Deward William Jr.
Navy Reserves Seaman 2nd class

Deward William Jr. Duncan from Durham, North Carolina, New Hanover county.

Parents: Mitchel L. Hutchins

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Wednesday, January 12, 1944
Death details: On May 17, 2018, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Seaman Second Class Deward W. Duncan Jr., missing from World War II. Seaman Second Class Duncan, who entered the U.S. Navy from Georgia, was attached to Aviation, Construction, Ordnance, Repair, Navy 14, Standard Landing Craft Unit 4, and was stationed on Betio, following the capture of Tarawa Atoll. On January 12, 1944, S2 Duncan was killed during a Japanese air raid over Betio. He was buried in a cemetery on Betio, but his remains could not be identified from among the remains recovered from Betio after the war. In 2017, the independent investigative group History Flight, in partnership with DPAA, located a grave site on Betio and recovered human remains. DPAA analysts identified S2 Duncan from among these remains.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Horrell, Harvey Howard
Navy Signalman 1st class

Harvey Howard Horrell, age 30, from New Hanover County Henderson, North Carolina .

Parents: James Mayon Jones

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, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency,MIA

Harvey, Roscoe Lee
Army Corporal

Roscoe Lee Harvey from New Hanover County Wilmington, North Carolina .

Parents: Annie Mae Harvey

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. Sergeant Roscoe Lee Harvey joined the U.S. Army from North Carolina and was a member of Headquarters Battery, 503rd Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. On December 1, 1950, he was captured by enemy forces near Somindong, North Korea, as his unit made its fighting withdrawal toward Sunchon. Sergeant Harvey was eventually marched to Camp 3, a prisoner of war camp in northern North Korea, where he died of malnutrition in November of 1951. He was not identified among remains returned to U.S. custody after the war, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Sergeant Harvey 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, Charlotte Observer (1954)

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