Pittsburg County Oklahoma

McCluskey, Jason J.
Army Sergeant

Jason J. McCluskey, age 26, from McAlester, Oklahoma, Pittsburg county.

Parents: Jimmy McCluskey and Delores (Darby) McCluskey
Children: Landen McCluskey

Service era: Afghanistan
Schools: McAlester High (2004)
Military history: 27th Engineer Battalion, 20th Engineer Brigade, XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Enlisted April 2006

Date of death: Thursday, November 4, 2010
Death details: Died at Zarghun Shahr, Mohammad Agha District, Afghanistan of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unity with small arms fire.
Cemetery: Tannehill

Source: Department of Defense, Patriot Guard

Sheppard, Joshua Dean
Army Specialist

Joshua Dean Sheppard, age 22, from Quinton, Oklahoma, Pittsburg county.

Service era: Iraq
Military history: 642D Engineer Support Company, Fort Drum, Ny

Date of death: Friday, December 22, 2006
Death details: Hostile; Baghdad, Iraq

Source: Department of Defense, Military Times

Smith, Tommy Dave
Army Sergeant 1st class

Tommy Dave Smith, age 36, from Hartshorne, Oklahoma, Pittsburg county.

Parents: Walter Smith
Spouse: Esther Mae
Children: Wayne, Paula and Karen

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Saturday, April 24, 1971
Cemetery: Doris Miller Memorial Park in Waco

Source: National Archives, findagrave.com, Daily Oklahoman (1971)

Stizza, John Bonat
Army Major

John Bonat Stizza, age 30, from McAlester, Oklahoma, Pittsburg county.

Spouse: Sue W. Stizza

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Wednesday, January 21, 1970
Death details: Killed in action in Vietnam

Source: National Archives, Associated Press (1970)

Williams, Charles Othern
Army Private 1st class

Charles Othern Williams, age 19, from Pittsburg County Eufaula, Oklahoma .

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, February 22, 1951
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. Corporal Charles Othern Williams, who joined the U.S. Army from Oklahoma, served with D Company, 2nd Engineer Combat Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was captured by enemy forces on December 1, 1950, as his unit was withdrawing from Kunu-ri to Sunchon. He and a large group of other prisoners were marched to Camp 5, Pyoktong, North Korea, where soon after his arrival, he died of malnutrition on February 22, 1951. He was buried at Camp 5, however, his remains have not been identified among any returned to U.S. custody after the war. Corporal Williams is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, M’Alester News Capital (1951)

Buff, Jack Young
Army Major sergeant

Jack Young Buff from Oklahoma, Pittsburg county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Sunday, July 16, 1950
Death details: On the evening of July 15, 1950, the U.S. Army’s 19th Infantry Regiment held defensive positions along the south bank of the Kum River. As dusk approached, North Korean People’s Army (NKPA) tanks appeared on the opposite shore and began firing on the U.S. positions. Although U.S. troops repulsed the attacks that evening, the next morning the NKPA crossed the river and launched a major attack against the 19th Regiment. As the regiment began withdrawing south to Taejon, the North Koreans pushed deep into their defensive lines and set up a roadblock en route to Taejon. When retreating American convoys could not break through the roadblock, soldiers were forced to leave the road and attempt to make their way in small groups across the countryside. Of the 900 soldiers in the 19th Infantry when the Battle of Kum River started, only 434 made it to friendly lines. Master Sergeant Jack Young Buff entered the U.S. Army from Oklahoma and served with Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He was captured on July 16, 1950, during the Battle of Kum River, while attempting to break through an enemy roadblock outside Taejon. After being moved between various prisoner of war (POW) holding camps in North Korea, he was eventually interned at a temporary holding site known as the “Cornfield” at the edge of Manpo, where he died of exhaustion and illness on October 31. His remains are unaccounted for. Today, Master Sergeant Buff is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Gawlet, Ross
Private

Ross Gawlet from Pittsburg County Pittsburg, Oklahoma .

Service era: World War I

Date of death: Tuesday, May 21, 1918
Death details: Died of wounds

Source: Soldiers of the Great War

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