Promote & Preserve stories of U.S. fallen soldiers/sailors
Dean R. Shaffer, age 23, from Pekin, Illinois, Tazewell county.
Service era: Afghanistan
Date of death: Thursday, April 19, 2012
Death details: Died in Helmand Province, Afghanistan when his Black Hawk (UH-60) crashed. Killed were CWO Nicholas S. Johnson, CWO Don C. Viray, Sgt. Chris J. Workman, Sgt Dean R. Shaffer
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
Robert J. Newton, age 21, from Creve Coeur, Illinois, Tazewell county.
School: East Peoria Community High (2007)
Service era: Afghanistan
Military history: 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California. Enlisted 2007. Purple Heart
Date of death: Monday, August 23, 2010
Death details: Died while supporting combat operations in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
Source: Department of Defense, Pekin Times, Peroia Journal Star, Military Times
Paul G. Smith, age 43, from Peoria, Illinois, Tazewell county. Their last known residence was in Peoria.
Service era: Afghanistan
Military history: Assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 106th Cavalry, Aurora, Illinois.
Date of death: Friday, June 19, 2009
Death details: Died in Kandahar, Afghanistan of wounds sustained when vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device.
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
George Robert Jr Obourn, age 20, from Creve Coeur, Illinois, Tazewell county.
Service era: Iraq
Military history: Troop B, 7Th Squadron, 10Th Cavalry, Fort Hood, Tx
Date of death: Wednesday, October 4, 2006
Death details: Hostile; Taji, Iraq
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
Kristofer Carl Walker, age 20, from Creve Coeur, Illinois, Tazewell county.
Service era: Iraq
Military history: Troop A, 7Th Squadron, 10Th Cavalry, 1 Bct, Fort Hood, Tx
Date of death: Monday, October 2, 2006
Death details: Hostile; Taji, Iraq
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
Ronald Wayne Gebur, age 23, from Delavan, Illinois, Tazewell county.
Parents: Larry and Debra Hendershot
Spouse: Bethany Morgan Henderson (Aug. 13, 2003
Children: Gage Evan Gebur, 9 months
Service era: Iraq
Military history: Company B, 1St Battalion, 22D Infantry, 1 Bct (101 Aa), Fort Hood, Tx
Date of death: Saturday, May 13, 2006
Death details: Died of injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee in Baghdad
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
Terry Wayne Jr Ball, age 36, from East Peoria, Illinois, Tazewell county.
Service era: Iraq
Military history: I Co, 3D Bn, 8Th Mar, (Rct-8), 2D Mar Div, Camp Lejeune, Nc
Date of death: Friday, August 5, 2005
Death details: Died at Bethesda, Maryland from wounds sustained June 12, 2005 in an explosion in Iraq
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
Robert Donald Beutel, age 25, from Tremont, Illinois, Tazewell county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: November 26, 1971
Death details:
On November 26, 1971, an F-4 Phantom II (tail number 66-7752, call sign “Owl 08”) conducted a forward air control mission over a heavily wooded, mountainous jungle area in eastern Laos. The last radio contact with the aircraft occurred as it was en route to the target area in Savannakhet Province in the vicinity of (GC) VD 964 056. Weather conditions were extremely poor, with rain, clouds and low visibility. When controllers could not re-establish radio contact with the crew of the Phantom, a seven day search and rescue effort began. Continuing bad weather and the rugged terrain hampered visual and photographic searches, and radio and electronic contact could not be established. The search was unsuccessful and the crew were declared missing.
First Lieutenant Robert Donald Beutel, who joined the U.S. Air Force from Illinois, served with the 497th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 8th Tactical Fighter Wing. He was the weapon systems operator aboard the Phantom when it disappeared, and his remains were not recovered. Subsequent to the incident, and while carried in the status of missing in action (MIA), the U.S. Air Force promoted First Lieutenant Beutel to the rank of Captain (Capt). Today, Captain Beutel is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Hershel Gale Rogers, age 25, from Mackinaw, Illinois, Tazewell county.
Parents: Hershel W. Rogers
Spouse: Darlene Sellers
Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Deer Cree-Mackinaw High (1964), Monmouth College
Date of death: Monday, September 27, 1971
Death details: Killed in South Vietnam when the helicopter he was piloting took heavy ground fire and exploded.
Cemetery: Clairmore, Oklahoma
Source: National Archives, Bloomington Pantagraph (1971)
Marshall Edward Naffziger, age 21, from Emden, Illinois, Tazewell county.
Spouse: Sandy K. Naffziger
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Thursday, August 5, 1971
Death details: Hostile, killed in South Vietnam
Source: National Archives, Associated Press (1971)