Curtis Charles Kastler, age 23, from Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania, Allegheny county.
Parents: Curtis and Elizabeth
Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Turtle Creek High, Slipperty Rock State College
Military history: 1st Cavalry Division
Date of death: Thursday, August 26, 1971
Death details: Hostile, killed in South Vietnam.
Source: National Archives, Pittsburgh Post Gazette (1971)
Michael John Estocin from Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania, Allegheny county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: April 27, 1967
Death details: Lieutenant Commander Michael John Estocin, who joined the U.S. Navy from Pennsylvania, served with Attack Squadron 192. On April 26, 1967, he piloted an A-4E Skyhawk (bureau number 151073, call sign “Jury 208”) on a surface to air missile (SAM) suppression mission over North Vietnam. During the mission, his Skyhawk was hit by a SAM and went out of control. Observers radioed LCDR Estocin and told him that his aircraft was on fire. He regained control of the aircraft and radioed that he was switching to the search and rescue (SAR) frequency. That was the last recieved communication from LCDR Estocin. The Skyhawk was last seen in the vicinity of (GC) 48 Q YH 134 919 when it entered a cloud layer at 3,500 feet. When nothing further was heard from LCDR Estocin, SAR efforts were initiated, but they were unsuccessful in locating the aircraft or a crash site. Lieutenant Commander Estocin’s remains have not been recovered. After the incident, the Navy promoted LCDR Estocin to the rank of Captain. Today, Captain Estocin is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Ronald Paul Petrick, age 20, from Allegheny County Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania .
Parents: Dorothy Webter and Stephen Petrick
Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania High graduate
Date of death: Friday, August 20, 1965
Death details: Killed in action while fighting at Chu Lai.
Cemetery: Holy Cross
Source: National Archives, San Bernardino County Sun (1965)
Jesse Leon Jr. Cecil, age 20, from Allegheny County Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania .
Parents: Jesse L. Cecil Sr.
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Friday, September 1, 1950
Death details: In late July of 1950, reinforcements from the U.S. Army’s 2nd Infantry Division arrived in Pusan, South Korea, and within hours of their arrival were already being moved to the front lines along the Pusan Perimeter to help repel the invading North Korean People’s Army (NKPA). Troops were positioned along the eastern bank of the Naktong River, which was shallow enough to be crossed on foot in several places. On August 31, members of the 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, were defending the eastern shore of the Naktong, near the town of Yongsan, when at nightfall the NKPA advanced over the Naktong and began an offensive against American positions along the river. Heavy fighting broke out, and many of the 9th Infantry Regiment’s positions were overrun. Corporal Jessie Leon Cecil Jr., who entered the U.S. Army from Pennsylvania, was a member of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He went missing on or about September 1, 1950, near Yongsan, South Korea, though specific details surrounding his loss are unknown. He was never reported as a prisoner of war, and attempts to locate his remains following the end of hostilities were unsuccessful. Today, Corporal Cecil 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, Pittsburgh Sun Telegraph (1954)