Perry County Arkansas

Shewmake, John Daniel Sr.
Army Sergeant 1st class

John Daniel Sr. Shewmake, age 27, from Adona, Arkansas, Perry county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Tuesday, November 3, 1970
Death details: On November 2, 1970, the landing craft utility (LCU) 63 departed Da Nang carrying a crew of eleven on a cargo mission to Tan My, South Vietnam. On November 3, helicopter pilots saw the craft capsized, south of Tan My port. An initial search of the craft found no sign of any if its crew. On November 6, the remains of one of LCU 63’s crew members were found in a life jacket near Cu Lao Island. Further attempts to salvage LCU 63 and locate its crew failed to locate any survivors or remains. Eventually, the remains of another member of the LCU 63’s crew were located and identified; however, the other nine men are still unaccounted for. Sergeant First Class John Daniel Shewmake Sr., who joined the U.S. Army from Arkansas, was a member of 329th Transportation Company (Heavy Boat), 5th Transportation Command. He was a crew member aboard LCU 63 when it capsized, and was lost with during the incident. His remains were not recovered. Today, Sergeant First Class Shewmake is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. Based on all information available, DPAA assessed the individual’s case to be in the analytical category of Non-recoverable.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounty Agency

Bennett, Harold George
Army Staff sergeant

Harold George Bennett, age 25, from Perry County Perryville, Arkansas .

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Tuesday, December 29, 1964
Death details: On December 29, 1964, two U.S. service members were serving as advisors to a group of South Vietnamese troops inserted on a mission near Binh Gia Village in Phuoc Tuy Province, South Vietnam. The unit moved to the vicinity of grid coordinates YS 549 755 where they made contact with enemy forces. During the ensuing firefight, the unit broke up, and the two U.S. soldiers were captured. One was eventually released back to U.S. custody, but the other died in captivity and his remains were not recovered. Sergeant Harold George Bennett entered the U.S. Army from Arkansas and served in Detachment 5891, Headquarters, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam. He was the U.S. advisor on this mission who died while in enemy custody. The advisor who survived the incident and after his release in 1967, reported that SGT Bennett died during a prisoner of war (POW) camp move in May 1965, when he became weak and fell behind and was executed. The circumstances surrounding any burial of his remains at the time are unknown, and attempts to locate his remains following the war have been unsuccessful. Following his loss, the Army promoted SGT Bennett to the rank of Staff Sergeant (SSG). Today, Staff Sergeant Bennett is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. His name is also inscribed along with all his fallen comrades on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, UPI (1965)

Hilburn, Odis
Army Corporal

Odis Hilburn, age 25, from Perry County Bigelow, Arkansas .

Parents: Elger Hilburn

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Monday, February 12, 1951
Death details: On February 5, 1951, Allied forces in Korea launched an offensive against North Korean and Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) north of Wonju. Republic of Korea units and the 38th Infantry Regiment and supporting artillery units, including the 15th and 503rd Field Artillery Battalions, and the 82nd Antiaircraft Artillery and Automatic Weapons Battalion, initially met light resistance on their drive to the north. On February 11, the CCF launched an aggressive counteroffensive that caused the Allies to withdraw back southward. However, the CCF had established a series of roadblocks on the road to the south, forcing the Allies to fight their way back to friendly lines. Sergeant Odis Hilburn entered the U.S. Army from Arkansas and was a member of B Company, 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He went missing in action during the Regiment’s fighting withdrawal. Exact circumstances of his loss are unknown and the immediate tactical situation precluded a search for him. He was never reported as a prisoner of war and has not been associated with the remains later returned to U.S. custody. Today, Sergeant Hilburn 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, Times Record (1954)

Miller, Doyle Allen
Navy Coxswain

Doyle Allen Miller from Adona, Arkansas, Perry county.

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

Turnipseed, John Morgan
Navy Fireman 3rd class

John Morgan Turnipseed from Houston, Arkansas, Perry county.

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

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