Andrew Sass, age 23, from Fremont, North Carolina, Wayne county.
Service era: Afghanistan
Military history: Company C, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, Joint Base Lewis-McChord; Enlisted May 2013
Date of death: Saturday, June 21, 2014
Death details: Killed at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California. Details were not released.
Source: Department of Defense, Newark News
Ralph Howell, age 26, from Eureka, North Carolina, Wayne county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Thursday, November 26, 1970
Source: National Archives
Wilbert Earl Jones, age 20, from Mount Olive, North Carolina, Wayne county.
Parents: Lee F. Jones
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Saturday, October 17, 1970
Death details: Killed in action
Source: National Archives, Associated Press (1970)
Frank Smith, age 18, from Goldsboro, North Carolina, Wayne county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Thursday, July 16, 1970
Source: National Archives
Charlie Corbett Benton, age 19, from Goldsboro, North Carolina, Wayne county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Monday, July 6, 1970
Death details: Non-hostile death
Source: National Archives, Charlotte News (1970)
Charlie Corbett Benton, age 19, from Goldsboro, North Carolina, Wayne county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Monday, July 6, 1970
Death details: Non-hostile death
Source: National Archives, Charlotte News (1970)
Nathaniel Jr. Cox, age 19, from Goldsboro, North Carolina, Wayne county.
Parents: Mary Gills
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Wednesday, March 18, 1970
Death details: Killed in action in Vietnam
Source: National Archives, Associated Press (1970)
James Price Devaney, age 20, from Goldsboro, North Carolina, Wayne county.
Spouse: Regina M. DeVaney
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Saturday, February 28, 1970
Source: National Archives, Advocate Messenger (1970)
William Carl Sutton, age 34, from Goldsboro, North Carolina, Wayne county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Wednesday, January 28, 1970
Death details: On January 28, 1970, an HH-53B Super Jolly Green Giant (tail number 14434, call sign Jolly Green 71) with a crew of six took off on a search and rescue mission in Laos. While in a holding pattern over the rescue area, the helicopter was struck by enemy fire, causing it to crash. Search and rescue efforts could not be conducted due to a strong enemy presence in the area. The remains of the helicopter’s pilot were returned to U.S. custody after the war; however, the rest of the crew is still unaccounted for. Technical Sergeant William Carl Sutton, who joined the U.S. Air Force from North Carolina, was a member of the 37th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Group. He was a pararescueman aboard the HH-53B when it went down, and was lost with the aircraft. Attempts to recover or identify his remains following the incident have been unsuccessful. Subsequent to the incident, and while carried in the status of missing in action (MIA), the U.S. Air Force promoted Technical Sergeant Sutton to the rank of Master Sergeant (MSgt). Today, Master Sergeant Sutton is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Irvin Lindney Littleton, age 23, from Wayne County North Carolina.
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. Sergeant I. Lindley Littleton, who joined the U.S. Army from North Carolina, was a member of Headquarters Company of the 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. While stationed along the Naktong River on the night of August 31, his unit was involved in the moving battle that broke out after the NKPA attack. Sergeant Littleton went missing during the fighting that took place between August 31 and September 1. He was never seen in enemy custody as a prisoner of war, and attempts to locate his remains following the end of hostilities were unsuccessful. Today, Sergeant Littleton 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