Private First Class (PFC) Nolan McKinney (Service Number: 320082) was born 16 June 1924 to Ernest F. and Maude Lemon Cagle McKinney in Texas. He had three sisters, Helen, Laura, and Iris. The family would eventually move to Harrison, Boone County, Arkansas. He would later enlist into the United States Marine Corps and saw service in the Philippines during WWII. During combat operations on Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, PFC McKinney was Killed in Action on 22 November 1942. His body was never recovered and first listed as Missing in Action. The War department later determined he would have been a casualty. He was the first Boone County, Arkansas KIA of WWII. He is buried in the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial located at Metro Manila, Philippines.
On 22 November 1942, units of the 164th and 182nd Infantry Regiments – part of the Army’s Americal Division – launched an assault against well-entrenched Japanese forces in the hills west of Guadalcanal’s Matanikau River. At the same time, three companies of 2/8th Marines – Fox, George, and Headquarters – crossed the river and gathered in assembly areas behind the Army. As the attack failed to make any headway, the Marines were notified that they would take the lead on the following day.
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Circumstances of Loss
Fox Company started their attack at 0625 on 23 November, but “was unable to advance across the Line of Departure because of intense machine gun fire which swept the ridge.” The same fortifications that held up the Army took a fearsome toll on the Marines. Commanders issued orders to dig in along the line, and the assault was abandoned in favor of combat patrols.
PFC Nolan McKinney was one of ten Fox Company Marines reported as killed in action on 22 November 1942. However, regimental reports don’t report any significant enemy contacts for the company on that date, as they were being held in an assembly area behind the lines. Oddly, the same company reported no KIAs on 23 November – the day they were subjected to such heavy fire. It is possible, though not confirmed, that a clerical error caused these Marines to be incorrectly listed as killed on 22 November.
His medals and decorations include the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, American Defense Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with bronze service star, World War II Victory Medal, and Presidential Unit Citation.
