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Coleman, Gary Brent
Army Corporal

Gary Brent Coleman, age 24, from Pikeville, Kentucky, Pike county.

Service era: Iraq
Military history: Company B, 1St Armor Battalion, 68Th Armor Regiment, Fort Carson, Co 80913

Date of death: Friday, November 21, 2003
Death details: killed Nov. 21 during a patrol when the vehicle he was driving flipped over into a canal, trapping him inside, in Balad, Iraq.

Cemetery: Johnson Memorial, Pikeville

Source: Department of Defense, findagrave.com, legacy.com, Military Times

Dotson, Richard Wayne
Army Staff sergeant

Richard Wayne Dotson, age 29, from Dorton, Kentucky, Pike county.

Parents: Robert Dotson and Iva Potter
Children: William

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Saturday, December 26, 1970
Death details: Died in a military hospital in South Vietnam of injuries suffered in an accident December 22, 1970. He was riding in a vehicle which swerved to avoid a motor bike.

Source: National Archives, Logan Daily News, Associated Press (1970)

Justice, Don McClelland
Marines Corporal

Don McClelland Justice, age 21, from Pikeville, Kentucky, Pike county.

Parents: Stella Justice

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Monday, September 7, 1970
Death details: Died of wounds received in action

Source: National Archives, Associated Press (1970)

Hall, Chester Gene
Army Sergeant

Chester Gene Hall, age 20, from Robinson Creek, Kentucky, Pike county.

Parents: Chester Hall

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Saturday, May 9, 1970

Source: National Archives, Associated Press (1970)

Casebolt, Billy G.

Billy G. Casebolt, age 17, from Ford’s Branch, Kentucky, Pike county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Saturday, July 8, 1961
Death details: Among four Army recruits killed at Fort Benning, Georgia when a bolt of lightning struck a tree and richocheted into the group at a remote rifle range.

Source: UPI (1970)

Moore, Charles E.
Army Private 1st class

Charles E. Moore from Kentucky, Pike county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Saturday, December 2, 1950
Death details: 

On the evening of November 27, 1950, Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) launched a massive attack against the U.S. and United Nations troops stationed in the Chosin Reservoir area in northeast North Korea, resulting in a seventeen-day conflict that became known as the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. At the time of the initial CCF attack, members the U.S. Army’s 31st and 32nd Infantry Regiments were defending the area north of Sinhung-ni, on the east side of the reservoir. The defenders were overwhelmed by the numerically superior CCF, and on December 1, were forced to withdraw to friendly lines at Hagaru-ri. Chinese roadblocks from Sinhung-ni to Hagaru-ri along with the constant enemy fire from the surrounding high ground, made the withdrawal route extremely dangerous. Eventually, the column was broken into separate segments, which the CCF attacked individually. Many men were lost or captured during the moving battle, with survivors reaching friendly lines in Hagaru-ri on December 2 and 3.

Corporal Charles Edgar Moore, who entered the U.S. Army from Kentucky, was a member of Headquarters Company, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on December 2, 1950, during the withdrawal from Sinhung-ni to Hagaru-ri, though specific details regarding his loss are unknown. He was never reported to be a prisoner of war, and his remains were not recovered or identified following the ceasefire. Today, Corporal Moore is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Thomas, Kermit
Navy Reserves Ship’s cook 3rd class

Kermit Thomas from Pigeon, Kentucky, Pike county.

Parents: Jack Thomas

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

Blackburn, Harding Coolidge
Navy Yeoman 3rd class

Harding Coolidge Blackburn, age 21, from Pikeville, Kentucky, Pike county.

Parents: Emsy Byrone Blackburn

Service era: World War II
Military history: Purple Heart

Date of death: Sunday, December 7, 1941

Death details: Killed aboard the USS Oklahoma. Accounted for October 18, 2021
Cemetery: Honolulu Memorial

Source: National Archives, American Battle Monuments Commission, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

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