Bradley Nolan Shilling, age 22, from Reed City, Michigan, Osceola county.
Service era: Iraq
Military history: Company E, 1St Battalion, 25Th Infantry, Big Rapids, Mi
Date of death: Saturday, November 18, 2006
Death details: Hostile; Baghdad, Iraq
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
Thomas Emings Smith, age 19, from Osceola County Evart, Michigan .
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Sunday, February 20, 1972
Death details: Non-hostile death in Vietnam
Source: National Archives, Herald Press (1972)
Melvin John Byers, age 21, from Tustin, Michigan, Osceola county.
Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Tustin High (1964)
Military history: 35th Infantry Regiment
Date of death: Tuesday, February 6, 1968
Death details: Hostile, died of wounds suffered January 25, 1968, South Vietnam. Bronze Star citation: For heroism in connection with military operations against an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam. Private First Class Byers distinguished himself while serving as a Rifleman with Company D, 1/35th Infantry. On 25 January 1968, Company D was conducting a search and destroy mission a few miles north of LZ Baldy. Private First Class Byers and several comrades volunteered to guard a group of civilian-clothed enemy suspects detained during the mission. Suddenly one of the suspects started running towards a nearby village. Concerned for the safety of his comrades, Private First Class Byers chose to pursue the fleeing suspect rather then fire at him. As he reached the thick underbrush where the suspect sought cover, Private First Class Byers tripped a well-concealed booby trap, mortally wounding the suspect and seriously wounding himself. Although evacuated immediately, he later succumbed to his wounds. Private First Class Byers’ concern for the welfare and safety of his comrades, quick thinking, and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.
Cemetery: Burdwell Township Cemetery, Osceola County
Source: National Archives, 35th Infantry Regiment Association
Randy Gene Totten, age 20, from Osceola County Reed City, Michigan .
Parents: Harold K. Totten
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Tuesday, May 17, 1966
Death details: Hostile, killed, South Vietnam
Source: National Archives, Associated Press (1966)
Arthur Roy Kurts, age 26, from Michigan, Osceola county.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Thursday, July 9, 1953
Death details: On July 6, 1953, a large Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) unit attacked and overran the U.S. Army outposts on Pork Chop Hill in an attempt to seize whatever territory possible before the impending armistice agreement. After fighting for the position for four days, on July 10, the 7th Infantry Division Commander determined that the CCF disregard for casualties and desire to hold the outpost outweighed the position’s tactical value, and ordered a withdrawal that was eventually completed on July 11. The U.S. never again controlled Pork Chop Hill, preventing thorough recovery efforts for those who were killed or went missing during the fighting. Private First Class Arthur Roy Kurts, who joined the U.S. Army from Michigan, served with Company G, 2nd Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He went missing in action on July 9, 1953, during the CCF attack on Pork Chop Hill. His remains were not recovered following the battle and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Private First Class Kurts is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
William S. Bonham, age 24, from Michigan, Osceola county.
Service era: World War II
Military history: 383rd Infantry, 96th Infantry Division
Date of death: Saturday, May 19, 1945
Death details: Died of wounds
Cemetery: New Albany National
Source: National Archives, grave marker