Promote & Preserve stories of U.S. fallen soldiers/sailors
Christopher D. Gailey, age 26, from Ochelata, Oklahoma, Washington county.
Service era: Afghanistan
Military history: 700th Brigade Support Battalion, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oklahoma National Guard, Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Date of death: Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Death details: Died in Paktia Province, Afghanistan of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device. Pfc. Sarina N. Butcher also died.
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
Adam Noel Brewer, age 22, from Dewey, Oklahoma, Washington county.
Service era: Iraq
Military history: D Company, 2D Battalion, 7Th Cavalry, 4Th Brigade, 1St Calvary Division, Fort Hood, Tx
Date of death: Friday, February 25, 2005
Death details: Hostile; Taji, Iraq
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
Donald E. Woollett, age 25, from Washington County Barthesville, Oklahoma .
Service era: Beirut bombings
Date of death: Sunday, October 23, 1983
Death details: Among more than 200 military personnel killed in the terroist bombing of Marine headquarters in Beirut.
Cemetery: Arlington National
Source: White House Commission on Remembrance, findagrave.com
John Delbert Starrett from Bartlesville, Oklahoma, Washington county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Sunday, October 4, 1970
Source: National Archives
Michael Gene Warnick, age 21, from Bartlesville, Oklahoma, Washington county.
Parents: Harold E. Warnick
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Friday, October 2, 1970
Death details: Non-hostile death
Source: National Archives, Fort Worth Star Telegram (1970)
Donald Ray O. Ragsdale, age 22, from Dewey, Oklahoma, Washington county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Wednesday, April 1, 1970
Death details: Killed in action
Source: National Archives, Daily Oklahoman (1970), Fort Worth Star Telegram (1970)
Robert Victor Rood, age 24, from Washington County Bartlesville, Oklahoma .
Service era: Korea
Date of death: Tuesday, July 14, 1953
Death details: On July 13, 1953, the U.S. Army’s 555th Field Artillery Battalion was positioned to support the Republic of Korea (ROK) 6th Division along a stretch of line known as the Kumsong Salient, when the Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) launched a massive night attack. The 555th Field Artillery continued to fire in support of the ROK forces during the initial stage of the attack, despite coming under heavy enemy artillery fire themselves. However, early on July 14, CCF troops penetrated the ROK lines and were able to attack the 555th’s own positions. Several battery positions were overrun by the numerically superior attackers before a withdrawal order was received. By that point, few men were actually able to withdraw. Some managed to evade enemy forces and work their way back to friendly lines over the following days, but a number of the 555th Field Artillery’s men were captured by the enemy or went missing. The battlefield now lies on the North Korean side of the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea. First Lieutenant Robert Victor Rood, who entered the U.S. Army from Oklahoma, served with Battery C, 555th Field Artillery Battalion, 24th Infantry Division. He was with his fellow members of Battery C at the time of the CCF attack on July 14, 1953, and was reported missing following the incident. His remains were not recovered at the time, and subsequent search efforts have been impeded by the fact that the loss area now lies in North Korean territory. Today, First Lieutenant Rood is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Daily Ardmoreite (1953)
Melvin W. Evans from Washington County Oklahoma.
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Tuesday, January 9, 1945
Death details: On December 13, 1944, Japanese forces in the Philippines began the transfer of 1,621 Allied prisoners of war (POWs) to Japan. The POWs were to make the journey aboard transport ships whose harsh conditions and extreme overcrowding led survivors to refer to them as “Hell Ships.” The ships also lacked markings that would distinguish them from any other military target, causing some of them to be attacked by Allied forces who could not identify them as POW transports. On December 14, 1944, Allied aircraft attacked the first ship, the Oryoku Maru, in Subic Bay in the Philippines, killing many Allied POWs who became lost in the water, sank with the ship, or were washed ashore. Survivors of the bombing were put aboard two other ships, the Enoura Maru and the Brazil Maru, to continue on to Japan. During the journey, while anchored in Takao Harbor, Formosa (present-day Taiwan), the Enoura Maru was attacked by Allied aircraft from the USS Hornet (CV-8), killing Allied POWs who were lost in the water, on board the ship, or on the nearby shore. Survivors of the Enoura Maru bombing were loaded onto the Brazil Maru, and reached Japan on January 30, 1945. As a result of these incidents, Allied POWs were lost in the Philippines, at sea between the Philippines and Taiwan, while anchored in Taiwan, at sea between Taiwan and Japan, and in Japan. The attacks on these POW transports ultimately resulted in a series of death notifications from the Japanese government through the International Red Cross (IRC), and some casualties were given up to five different dates of death at various locations during the transfer. Witness accounts from surviving POWs offer detailed information for a handful of casualties, but the specific dates of loss and/or last-known locations for many of these POWs are based on the most recent reported date of death. Captain Melvin W. Evans entered the U.S. Army from Oklahoma and served in the14th Corps of Engineers in the Philippine Islands during World War II. He was taken as a POW following the Japanese invasion and interned in the islands until December 1944, when he was put aboard the Oryoku Maru for transport to Japan. Records indicate CPT Evans was killed several weeks later in the attack on the Enoura Maru; however, these reports often involve information solely furnished by enemy governments, with some casualties given multiple dates of death. Future research may determine that these reports were inaccurate. Captain Evans’ remains could not be identified following the war, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Captain Evans is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Capitol Hill Beacon (1947)
Milo O. Smith, age 31, from Washington County Bartlesville, Oklahoma .
Spouse: Pauline Smith
Children: Patrick Steven, 5
Service era: World War II
Schools: Nebraska University (1936)
Date of death: Friday, December 15, 1944
Death details: On December 13, 1944, Japanese forces in the Philippines began the transfer of 1,621 Allied prisoners of war (POWs) to Japan. The POWs were to make the journey aboard transport ships whose harsh conditions and extreme overcrowding led survivors to refer to them as “Hell Ships.” The ships also lacked markings that would distinguish them from any other military target, causing some of them to be attacked by Allied forces who could not identify them as POW transports. On December 14, 1944, Allied aircraft attacked the first ship, the Oryoku Maru, in Subic Bay in the Philippines, killing many Allied POWs who became lost in the water, sank with the ship, or were washed ashore. Survivors of the bombing were put aboard two other ships, the Enoura Maru and the Brazil Maru, to continue on to Japan. During the journey, while anchored in Takao Harbor, Formosa (present-day Taiwan), the Enoura Maru was attacked by Allied aircraft from the USS Hornet (CV-8), killing Allied POWs who were lost in the water, on board the ship, or on the nearby shore. Survivors of the Enoura Maru bombing were loaded onto the Brazil Maru, and reached Japan on January 30, 1945. As a result of these incidents, Allied POWs were lost in the Philippines, at sea between the Philippines and Taiwan, while anchored in Taiwan, at sea between Taiwan and Japan, and in Japan. The attacks on these POW transports ultimately resulted in a series of death notifications from the Japanese government through the International Red Cross (IRC), and some casualties were given up to five different dates of death at various locations during the transfer. Witness accounts from surviving POWs offer detailed information for a handful of casualties, but the specific dates of loss and/or last-known locations for many of these POWs are based on the most recent reported date of death. First Lieutenant Milo O. Smith, who entered the U.S. Army from Oklahoma, served with the 724th Ordnance Company (Aviation) in the Philippines during World War II. He was taken as a POW following the Japanese invasion and interned in the islands until December 1944, when he was put aboard the Oryoku Maru for transport to Japan. Records indicate 1LT Smith was killed several weeks later in the attack on the Enoura Maru; however, these reports often involve information solely furnished by enemy governments, with some casualties given multiple dates of death. Future research may determine that these reports were inaccurate. First Lieutenant Smith’s remains could not be identified following the war, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, First Lieutenant Smith is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Pryor Jeffersonian (1945)
Emory Lowell Eaton, age 23, from Washington County Bartlesville, Oklahoma .
Parents: James Leslie Eaton
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Sunday, December 7, 1941
Death details: Killed aboard the USS Arizona
Source: National Archives, Daily Oklahoman (1942)