Christopher Joseph Nelson, age 22, from Rochester, Washington, Thurston county.
Service era: Iraq
Military history: Company B, 1St Battalion, 38Th Infantry, 4 Bct, Fort Lewis, Wa
Date of death: Sunday, November 18, 2007
Death details: Hostile; Balad, Iraq
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
Velton Locklear III, age 29, from Lacey, Washington, Thurston county.
Service era: Iraq
Family: Wife Denise and sons Nathan and Velton IV, parents Velton Locklear Jr. and Carmen Locklear; sisters Lori Lewis and Julie Angulo
Military history: Company C, 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii
Date of death: Saturday, September 23, 2006
Death details: Died of injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee in Riyadh, Iraq
Source: Department of Defense, KTSM
Justin Dean Norton, age 21, from Rainier, Washington, Thurston county.
Service era: Iraq
Military history: Troop A, 1St Squadron, 10Th Cavalry, 2 Bct, Fort Hood, Tx
Date of death: Saturday, June 24, 2006
Death details: Hostile; Baghdad, Iraq
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
Abraham George Twitchell, age 28, from Yelm, Washington, Thurston county.
Service era: Iraq
Military history: Cssg-1, (Clb-7, 1St Mlg, I Mef Fwd), Mcagcc, Twentynine Palms, California
Date of death: Sunday, April 2, 2006
Death details: Died when the seven-ton truck he was in rolled over in a flash flood near Asad, Iraq.
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
Doran Hilaire Bolduc, age 29, from Lacey, Washington, Thurston county.
Parents: Roland Bolduc
Service era: Cold War
Schools: North Thurston High
Date of death: Sunday, May 17, 1987
Death details: Died aboard the USS Stark. While in the Persian Gulf on May 17, 1987, she was struck by two Iraqi Exocet missiles, killing 37 sailors and wounding 21. Brought under control, the frigate sailed to Bahrain and was successfully repaired at Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi. Following repairs and subsequent tours in the Atlantic and Middle East, Stark was decommissioned on May 7, 1999, and was scrapped in 2006.
Source: Associated Press (1987), National Museum of the U.S. Navy
Bruce Allan Berg, age 21, from Olympia, Washington
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Saturday, August 7, 1971
Death details: Sergeant Bruce Allan Berg entered the U.S. Army from Washington and served with Task Force 1 Advisory Element, Training Advisory Group, U.S. Army Republic of Vietnam Training Support Headquarters. On August 7, 1971, he was serving in a reconnaissance unit in South Vietnam, when after departing his bunker to recover a claymore mine he was hit and killed by enemy small arms fire. Following his loss, his unit came under heavy enemy pressure and could not recover his body. He remains unaccounted for. Today, Sergeant Berg is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Gary Preston Booth, age 20, from Olympia, Washington, Thurston county.
Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Mount Saint Helens High (1968)
Date of death: Wednesday, December 23, 1970
Death details: On December 23, 1970, a U-1A Otter (tail number: 55-3298; call sign: Reliable 298) with a crew of three embarked on a courier mission over the Republic of (South) Vietnam. Witnesses on the ground saw the aircraft break into two pieces in mid-air approximately ten miles south of Tuy Hoa Air Base. The aircraft was said to be on fire when it split apart (vicinity of 49P CQ 285 350). Two rescue helicopters arrived on the scene within minutes and conducted an extensive aerial search for survivors along the coastline. Ground searches were also conducted, but were unsuccessful in finding any remains. The three men aboard the Otter are still unaccounted for. Specialist Four (SP4) Gary Preston Booth, who joined the U.S. Army from Washington, served with the 18th Aviation Company, 223rd Aviation Battalion, 17th Aviation Group, 1st Aviation Brigade. He was the crew chief aboard the Otter when it went down, and his remains were not recovered. Today, SP4 Booth is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Cemetery: Memorialized at Winlock, Washington
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, findagrave.com, Longview Daily News
Duane Gordon Cordiner, age 24, from Tumwater, Washington, Thurston county.
Spouse: Annette M. Cordiner
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Monday, December 14, 1970
Death details: Killed in action in Veitnam
Source: National Archives, Associated Press (1970)
Lonnie Melroe Swinson, age 47, from Yelm, Washington, Thurston county.
Parents: Leria Swinson
Spouse: Mary E. (Crist)
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Friday, September 11, 1970
Death details: Killed in action in Vietnam
Cemetery: Masonic Memorial Park
Source: National Archives, The Olympian (1970)
Michael James Heindselman, age 20, from Olympia, Washington, Thurston county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Thursday, July 16, 1970
Death details: Body recovered
Source: National Archives