Ryan Joseph Kovacicek, age 22, from Washington, Pennsylvania, Washington county.
Service era: Iraq – Operation Iraqi Freedom
Military history: K Co, 3d Bn, 25th Mar, (Rct-2, 2d Mar Div), 4th Mar Div, Moundsville, West Virginia
Date of death: Sunday, July 10, 2005
Death details: Hostile, died in Hit, Iraq
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
James Arthur McEwen, age 24, from Washington County Washington, Pennsylvania .
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Friday, October 22, 1965
Death details: On October 22, 1965, an RB-66 Destroyer (tail number 53-0452, call sign “Sabre 55”) with a crew of three took off on a night reconnaissance mission over Pleiku, South Vietnam. The aircraft failed to return from the mission for unknown reasons, and search teams were launched. The aircraft’s crash site was located near Sa Thay District, South Vietnam, but later investigations of the site found no evidence of the aircraft’s crew and all three remain unaccounted-for. First Lieutenant James Arthur McEwen, who joined the U.S. Air Force from Pennsylvania, was a member of the 9th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron. He was a crew member aboard “Sabre 55” when it went down on October 22, 1965, and was lost with the aircraft. Today, First Lieutenant McEwen is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives
James Joseph Jr. Reilly, age 39, from Washington County Washington, Pennsylvania .
Spouse: Annabelle Wilson Reilly
Children: Three
Service era: Vietnam
Military history: E Troop, 17th Cavalry, 173rd Airborne Brigade
Date of death: Sunday, October 10, 1965
Death details: Died in South Vietnam of wounds suffered when an enemy mine detonated.
Source: National Archives, Daily Herald (1965)
David Lee Rizor, age 21, from Washington County Washington, Pennsylvania .
Service era: Vietnam
Military history: 173rd Airborne Brigade
Date of death: Saturday, October 9, 1965
Death details: He was fatally wounded by a security guard while returning to his company area in Vietnam, non-hostile
Source: National Archives, Pittsburgh Press (1965)
Robert Alvin Shepard, age 24, from Washington County Washington, Pennsylvania .
Parents: William J. Shepard
Service era: Korea
Military history: 35th Infantry Regiment
Date of death: Tuesday, November 28, 1950
Death details: On November 25, 1950, the U.S. Army 2nd and 25th Infantry Divisions were holding defensive positions south of the town of Unsan, North Korea, below the Yalu River. On November 26 and 27, Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) attacked the U.S. troops, pushing them through the towns of Ung-dong and Yongsan-dong, and on to Yongbyon, where they were given orders to establish new defensive lines. Corporal Robert Alvin Shepard entered the U.S. Army from Pennsylvania and was a member of F Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. He went missing in action on November 28 during his unit’s movement to Yongbyon, but the details surrounding his loss are unknown. Corporal Shepard was not reported confirmed as a prisoner of war following his disappearance, though the United Nations Command suspected he had been captured. His remains were not identified among those returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Corporal Shepard 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, 35th Infantry Regiment Association, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Evening News (1953)
Donald R. Snoke, age 30, from Washington County Washington, Pennsylvania .
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 Donald R. Snoke, who entered the U.S. Army from Pennsylvania, served with Battery F of the 59th Coast Artillery Regiment 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 CPT Snoke 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 Snoke’s remains could not be identified following the war, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Captain Snoke is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Daily Courier (1945)
Paolo Fauceglia from Washington, Pennsylvania, Washington county.
Service era: World War I
Date of death: Wednesday, October 16, 1918
Death details: Died of disease
Cemetery: Saint Mihiel American
Source: Soldiers of the Great War, findagrave.com, findagrave.com
Herbert L. Fields, age 25, from Washington, Pennsylvania, Washington county.
Service era: World War I
Date of death: Saturday, September 28, 1918
Death details: Killed in action
Cemetery: Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania
Source: Soldiers of the Great War, findagrave.com, findagrave.com