Washington County Arkansas

Collinsworth, Marion Livington
Army Private

Marion Livington Collinsworth from Arkansas, Washington 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. Private First Class Marion Livington Collinsworth entered the U.S. Army from Arkansas and served with Company A, 1st Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He went missing on July 16, during the Battle of Kum River, while his unit was attempting to withdraw through an enemy roadblock outside Taejon. He was not reported as a prisoner of war, and he remains unaccounted for. Today, Private First Class Collinsworth is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Shackelford, Benjamin J.
Army Private

Benjamin J. Shackelford from Arkansas, Washington county.

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Tuesday, June 6, 1944
Death details: On May 17, 1944, U.S. and Chinese troops began the siege of Myitkyina, Burma. The town, which was occupied by the Japanese, possessed a strategically vital airstrip that would allow supplies and aerial support to reach troops fighting in difficult jungle terrain of the China-Burma-India Theater. While Chinese units comprised the majority of the ground combat troops, the U.S. Army’s 5307th Composite Unit, also known as Merrill’s Marauders, was also active in the fighting. The Japanese were able to defend the town until August 3, 1944, when their remaining men were ordered to withdraw. Hard fighting, difficult terrain, and the outbreak of disease led to significant casualties among the Chinese and American units that fought to take control of the town. Private Benjamin J. Shackelford entered the U.S. Army from Arkansas and served in the 236th Engineer Combat Battalion. During the fighting in and around Myitkyina, the 236th Battalion spent 59 days on the front lines as infantry, in constant contact with the enemy. Private Shackelford was killed on July 6, 1944, near the village of Namkwi, Burma. The exact circumstances of his loss are unknown. His remains have not been recovered or identified following the war, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Private Shackelford is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Farrar, James B.
Sergeant

James B. Farrar from Fayetteville, Arkansas, Washington county.

Service era: World War I

Date of death: Saturday, October 5, 1918
Death details: Killed in action
Cemetery: Arlington National

Source: American Battle Monuments Commission, Soldiers of the Great War, findagrave.com, findagrave.com

Stone, William E.
Private

William E. Stone, age 32, from Washington County Habberton, Arkansas .

Service era: World War I

Date of death: Saturday, September 28, 1918
Death details: Died of disease

Source: American Battle Monuments Commission, Soldiers of the Great War

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