Oxford County Maine

McLain, Buddy W.
Army Private

Buddy W. McLain, age 24, from Mexico, Maine, Oxford county.

Parents: Larry McLain and Patti (Shannon) McLain
Spouse: Chelsea (Freeman) McLain (March 11, 2009)
Children: Owen Patrick McLain

Service era: Afghanistan
Schools: Mountain Valley High (2006)
Military history: 1st Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

Date of death: Monday, November 29, 2010
Death details: Died in Nangarhar Province when an Afghan border policeman opened fire on U.S. troops during a training session. Killed in the attack: Barry E. Jarvis, Curtis A. Oakes, Matthew W. Ramsey, Jacob A. Gassen, Austin G. Staggs, Buddy W. McLain.

Source: Department of Defense, Jackson County Times Journal, Sun Journal, Military Times

Smith, Tyler Jacob
Army Private 2nd Class

Tyler Jacob Smith, age 22, from Bethel, Maine, Oxford county.

Service era: Iraq

Parents: Martin and Wendy Smith

School: Telstar Regional High (2004)
Military history: Company E, 3d Battalion, 7th Infantry, Fort Stewart, Georgia

Date of death: Friday, March 21, 2008
Death details: Died at Forward Operating Base Falcon near Baghdad of wounds sustained when the base received indirect fire.

Source: Department of Defense, Military Times

Dan, Corey Alan
Army Sergeant

Corey Alan Dan, age 22, from Norway, Maine, Oxford county.

Service era: Iraq
Military history: Company D, 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry, 4th Bct, (1 Mef), Fort Campbell, Kentucky

Date of death: Monday, March 13, 2006
Death details: Hostile; Ar Ramadi, Iraq. Killed when he came under small arms fire and an improvised explosive device detonated.

Source: Department of Defense, Military Times

Graustein, Robert Stewart
Navy Lieutenant Commander

Robert Stewart Graustein, age 33, from Fryeburg, Maine, Oxford county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: December 21, 1972
Death details: On March 7, 1986, the Central Identification Laboratory-Hawaii (CILH, now DPAA) identified the remains of Lieutenant Commander Robert Stewart Graustein, missing from the Vietnam War.

Lieutenant Commander Graustein joined the U.S. Navy from Maine and was a member of Attack Squadron 75. On December 21, 1972, he piloted an A-6A Intruder (bureau number 152946) on a bombing mission against enemy targets near Kien An Airfield. Lieutenant Commander Graustein’s Intruder went down during the mission, and he was killed in the incident. His remains could not be recovered at the time. In 1985, a set of unknown remains were turned over to a group of U.S. investigators performing an excavation in Vietnam. Forensic analysis identified LCDR Graustein from among the returned remains.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Niskanen, Martin Keith
Army Captain

Martin Keith Niskanen, age 27, from Oxford County South Paris, Maine .

Parents: Sulo Niskanen
Spouse: Maria Louise (Schartmann)

Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Oxford Hills High (1962), West Point Military Academy (1966)

Date of death: Sunday, November 28, 1971
Death details: Killed in a helicopter crash in South Vietnam.

Source: National Archives, Lewiston Daily Sun 91971)

Smiley, Ronald Owen
Army 1st Lieutenant

Ronald Owen Smiley, age 23, from Bethel, Maine, Oxford county.

Parents: Mrs. Ernestine Smiley and Vernon Smiley Wilton
Spouse: Doria Page Smiley
Children: Manette Christine, 15 days

Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Gould Academy (1965)
Military history: First battalion, 506th Infantry, 3rd Brigade, 101st airborn division

Date of death: Sunday, May 10, 1970
Death details: Hostile; killed in South Vietnam

Source: National Archives, Lewiston Sun Journal (1970)

Hurd, Colin Plummer
Army 1st Lieutenant

Colin Plummer Hurd, age 24, from Lovell, Maine, Oxford county.

Parents: Merwin and Marcia Hurd

Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Fryeburg Academy graduate, University of Vermont (1968)

Date of death: Saturday, May 9, 1970
Death details: Hostile; killed in South Vietnam

Source: National Archives, Portland Press Herald (1970)

Churchill, Carl Russell
Air Force Captain

Carl Russell Churchill, age 24, from Bethel, Maine, Oxford county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Sunday, May 3, 1970
Death details: Hostile; died in North Vietnam; body not recovered

Source: National Archives

Brooks, John Henry Ralph
Army Staff Sergeant

John Henry Ralph Brooks, age 24, from Bryant Pond, Maine, Oxford county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: May 13, 1969
Death details:  On May 13, 1969, a UH-1H Iroquois (serial number 67-17399) was one of three helicopters carrying American and South Korean forces on a combat mission in South Vietnam. The operation was conducted under the control of the 1st Regiment, Capital Division, South Korean Army. While approaching the landing zone, this Iroquois came under fire and crashed into a mountain ridgeline. Subsequent investigations of the site of the crash found the remains of three crew members. The other occupants of the helicopter could not be accounted for.

Staff Sergeant John Henry Ralph Brooks, who joined the U.S. Army in Maine, was a member of 129th Aviation Company, 268th Aviation Battalion, 17th Aviation Group. He was the crew chief aboard this Iroquois when it crashed, and he could not be located afterwards. Conflicting witness reports indicated that SSG Brooks was either killed when the helicopter was hit, or he survived the crash but was killed in the ensuing fight. He remains unaccounted for. Today, Staff Sergeant Brooks is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Foster, Robert Enoch Jr.
Army Staff Sergeant

Robert Enoch Jr. Foster, age 35, from Oxford County South Paris, Maine .

Parents: Robert E. Foster
Spouse: Ida Knill Foster
Children: Glenn A. Foster, Merry Ann Foster

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Friday, April 29, 1966
Death details: Hostile; killed in South Vietnam

Source: National Archives, Portland Press Herald (1966)

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