Perry and Greene County, MS Veterans

01/10/2026

There are 12 Mississippians still listed as Missing in Action (MIA) from the Vietnam War based on official U.S. POW/MIA records: 

1. Thomas Waring Bennett Jr. — Major, U.S. Air Force — Natchez, MS (missing 1972) 
2. Howard Rudolph Cody — Captain, U.S. Air Force — Gulfport, MS (missing 1963) 
3. James Woodrow Davis — Staff Sergeant, U.S. Air Force — Waynesboro, MS (missing 1968) 
4. Jerry W. Elliott — Private, U.S. Army — Greenville, MS (missing 1968) 
5. Danny D. Entrican — First Lieutenant, U.S. Army — Brookhaven, MS (missing 1971) 
6. Tanos E. Kalil — Civilian — Mississippi (missing 1969) 
7. Willie Clyde Kuykendall — Private, U.S. Army — Batesville, MS (missing 1971) 
8. Carter Purvis Luna — Major, U.S. Air Force — Hazlehurst, MS (missing 1969) 
9. Herbert L. Lunsford — Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Air Force — Lauderdale, MS (missing 1967) 
10. Walter Joseph Taylor Jr. — Private, U.S. Army — Moss Point, MS (missing 1970) 
11. Charles Franklin Wallace — Captain, U.S. Marine Corps — Ellisville, MS (missing 1967) 
12. Franklin Zollicoffer — Corporal, U.S. Army — Kosciusko, MS (missing 1972) 

These soldiers are further classified as either:

-Presumptive Finding of Death: Presumed deceased without recovered remains. 

-Killed in Action, Body Not Recovered: Confirmed killed but remains not recovered. 

-Died In Captivity, Remains Not Returned: Died as a prisoner and remains not returned.

These names are from the official Department of Defense/POW-MIA family list of U.S. unaccounted for from the Vietnam War specifically reported for Mississippi.

01/10/2026

‼️PLEASE HELP ME FIND A PHOTO OF THIS AIRMAN. Please tag his family if you know them‼️

OTTIS N. BROWN (1926-2003), Greene County, retired from the US Air Force as a Master Sergeant after 22 years of service.🇺🇸

01/10/2026

‼️PLEASE HELP FIND A PHOTO OF THIS SOLDIER, PREFERABLY IN UNIFORM, BUT ANY PHOTO WOULD BE APPRECIATED‼️

MAYO BALL (1915-1986), Leakesville, Greene County, Mississippi, served in the US Army. He was a disabled World War II veteran having served 4 Nov 1941-23 Jan 1946. 🇺🇸

01/09/2026

VETERAN’S SALUTE!

Col Roger William Strickland, MD (1953-1998), Greene County, served as a medical doctor for the US Army. He was the Valedictorian for Sand Hill High School 1972. He then entered Mississippi State University where he earned early acceptance to the University of Mississippi Medical School in 1975 and received the Army Medical Scholarship, which established the beginning of his military medical career.

“He completed an internal medicine residency at William Beaumont Army Medical Center in El Paso, Texas, where he was chief resident. He also completed a rheumatology fellowship at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington D.C. He subsequently became the assistant chief of rheumatology at Walter Reed, greatly expanding the center's rheumatology fellowship and training nearly 30 rheumatologists, and also served as an associate professor at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.

He was a physician member of the Congressional Tour after the first Gulf War and served as chief of medicine at the Martin Army Community Hospital in Fort Benning, Georgia, before being appointed the division surgeon of the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas. There, he was promoted to his final rank of colonel. Unfortunately, his career trajectory was cut short when he passed away from cancer in 1998 at the age of 44.”

We are grateful for his service. 🇺🇸

Information shared by Pete Tice via an article published by Mississippi State University’s “Alumnus Magazine”. Article was written by Addie Mayfield and photo was shared by his family.

01/09/2026

VETERAN’S SALUTE!

Simon Boulton was from Beaumont, Perry County, Mississippi, and served his country during World War I with the U.S. Army’s 303rd Stevedore Regiment.

Stevedore regiments were largely made up of African American soldiers who carried out the essential work of loading and unloading supplies that kept the American Expeditionary Forces moving. Though often overlooked, their role was vital to the war effort. These soldiers worked long, physically demanding hours under difficult and sometimes dangerous conditions, helping to ease critical supply bottlenecks.

I have not found records indicating that PVT Boulton served overseas, so it is likely that his service was stateside, supporting depot operations.

Simon Boulton passed away from tuberculosis on December 5, 1917. At that time, tuberculosis was a widespread and deadly public health crisis in Mississippi, with no effective cure available.

We remember and honor PVT Boulton for his service and sacrifice. 🇺🇸

*Regarding the spelling of his last name: early records show the surname spelled “Boulton,” with the “u” gradually dropped beginning in the 1850s. I was surprised to see the earlier spelling still in use at the turn of the century. Today, as most of you know, the surname is spelled Bolton.

01/09/2026

‼️PLEASE HELP ME FIND A PHOTO OF THIS LOCAL HERO BY TAGGING ANYONE WHO MAY BE OR KNOW HIS FAMILY‼️

JAMES ODEN LANDRUM, Ovett, served with the US Marine Corps. He was a World War II veteran.

On 6 May 1942, with the surrender of 4th Marine Regiment and attached units on the Philippine Islands, he was captured and taken to the Osaka Main POW Camp, Chikko 1.

Landrum was liberated at the end of the war and went on to serve during the conflict in Korea. He served 20 years total in the US military.🇺🇸

01/09/2026

Some sobering numbers as we look back on 2025 🇺🇸

The final U.S. military casualty totals for 2025 aren’t fully compiled yet, but early reports reveal something many people don’t often talk about: non-combat deaths remain a major risk, especially accidents.

🔹 The Navy has seen a high number of non-hostile deaths, many from car and motorcycle accidents.
🔹 Hostile deaths in ongoing operations (like Operation Freedom’s Sentinel) were comparatively low, but every loss still matters deeply.

📊 Reported figures so far:
• Army: 53 hostile / 17 non-hostile
• Air Force: 9 hostile / 12 non-hostile
• Navy & Marine Corps: 64 total deaths

🚁 A separate V-22 Osprey report notes 65 military and civilian deaths from mishaps by July 2025, underscoring how dangerous non-combat operations can be.

⚠️ Compiled using AI • Suicides excluded
📈 Chart below shows U.S. military casualties in American wars since 1775 (shared from Statista).

01/09/2026

🚨BREAKING: U.S. military has seized a 5th oil tanker in the Caribbean.

The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps carried out a surprise, early-morning mission to stop and take control of a Russian oil tanker.

Working with Homeland Security, the military used several massive warships to surround the vessel and stop "illegal activity" near our borders, officials say.

01/09/2026

01/09/2026

Every local veteran shown here shared a powerful and often overlooked bond — they endured life as Prisoners of War.

Their stories span continents, camps, and conflicts, each marked by hardship, resilience, and courage:

• Basil Matthews perished during the horrific Bataan Death March.
• Cecil Edmon Hinton was imprisoned at Zentsuji POW Camp (Hiroshima #1) on Shikoku Island, Japan.
• Norris Extine was held at Stalag 4B in Mühlberg, the largest POW camp on German soil.
• Joseph D. Rogers survived captivity in WWII and later went on to serve again during the Korean War.
• Records indicate Owen Barney Byrd may also have been held as a POW.
• James Moye endured captivity at Stalag Luft III.
• Luther Loyd “Luke” Parker spent six months in a German POW camp before being liberated by troops under General Patton’s command.
• Ferrin L. Rayburn was captured at Hosingen, Luxembourg, and sent to Stalag IX-A.
• George Bentley Granberry was imprisoned at Stalag 2B in Hammerstein, Germany.
• Weber Wilson Anderson was held at Stalag XI-B in Fallingbostel, Germany.
• Thomas J. Dukes was a POW in North Africa.
• James Oden Landrum was captured and held at an Osaka camp in Imperial Japan.
• Lawrence Franklin Pipkins was imprisoned at Stalag 2B in Hammerstein, Germany.
•Rueben E. Small was captured as a POW after his plane was shot down over Germany.

These men endured unimaginable conditions so future generations could live in freedom.
May we never forget their sacrifice. 🇺🇸

01/08/2026

Perry County soldiers Randall Gainey and Orby Wright at Fort Knox, Kentucky.

Bobbie Gainey

01/08/2026

I am searching for a photo of George Washington Blackledge Jr. (1918-1989), preferably in uniform, but any photo will work. I want to add him to the Veteran’s Salute. He served in the Army during World War II.

Please tag anyone who may be able to help. Thank you! 🇺🇸