Richard Edward McKinney
Gunnery Sergeant Richard E. McKinney served with Able Company, First Battalion, 4th Marines.
He was captured at Corregidor and died while a prisoner of war at Cabanatuan, Philippine Islands, on 15 November 1942.
Branch
Marine Corps Regular
Service Number 196259
Current Status
Remains not recovered.
Pursuit Category
This case is under Active Pursuit by the DPAA.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
February 27, 1903
at Mt. Airy, NC
Parents
Edward Fulton McKinney
Sallie Louise (Reeves) McKinney
Education
High school graduate
Occupation & Employer
Professional Marine
Service Life
Entered Service
August 14, 1924
at Parris Island, SC
Home Of Record
Mt. Airy, NC
Next Of Kin
Wife, Mrs. Irene McFarland McKinney
Military Specialty
—
Primary Unit
A/1/4th Marines
Campaigns Served
Philippine Islands / Corregidor
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Prisoner of War Medal
Additional Service Details
—
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
Richard McKinney, an “old salt” of nearly twenty years’ service, participated in the defense of the Philippines as a member of the 4th Marines. During the defense of Corregidor, he was promoted to the rank of gunnery sergeant and suffered a slight wound (a contusion on the left knee) while defending against the Japanese assault on the night of 5 May. The garrison surrendered the following day, and McKinney was held as a prisoner of war at Cabanatuan Camp #3, Nueva Ecija province.
Unsanitary living conditions, harsh treatment by guards, and a starvation diet took a rapid toll on the POWs. McKinney contracted dysentery in September of 1942 and reported to the Camp #3 hospital; in late October, all prisoners were moved to the main Cabanatuan camp. McKinney went directly to the hospital. After nearly two months of suffering, Richard McKinney died on 15 November 1942, at the age of thirty-nine.
(Word of McKinney’s death reached American authorities in the summer of 1943, leading to an erroneous death date of 9 July 1943. This was corrected after the war, when prisoner records came to light.)
Burial Information or Disposition
McKinney was buried in Grave 721 of the Cabanatuan cemetery, along with fourteen other prisoners – all members of the United States Army.
| Name | Rank | Service Number | Age | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conlon, Joseph L. | Private | 11031319 | 22 | Identified |
| O'Brien, Francis M. | PFC | 11024305 | 34 | Identified |
| Bradner, William W. | Technical Sergeant | 6936284 | 29 | Unaccounted |
| Slenker, LeRoy M. | Private | 19004368 | 28 | Unaccounted |
| Newton, Marvin | Sergeant | 6065154 | 39 | Identified |
| McKinney, Richard E. | Gunnery Sergeant | 196259 | 39 | Unaccounted |
| Alstott, Raymond A. | Private | 6581615 | 25 | Identified |
| MacDonald, Joseph C. | Private | 19012604 | 20 | Unaccounted |
| DeCloss, Raymond N. | Private | 20900700 | 24 | Unaccounted |
| Blonien, Elmer F. | Private | 36206285 | 29 | Unaccounted |
| Causey, Truman G. | Staff Sergeant | 6350976 | 34 | Unaccounted |
| Yanover, George | Private | 11024231 | 22 | Identified |
| Leggett, Ernest R. | Staff Sergeant | 6374760 | 32 | Unaccounted |
| Brown, John I. | Staff Sergeant | 6383074 | 26 | Identified |
| Laniauskas, Peter | Private | 6150019 | 25 | Unaccounted |
Grave 721 was exhumed in 1946, and the remains sent to Manila for examination. Those that could not be individually identified – including Gunnery Sergeant McKinney – were buried as unknowns in the Manila American Cemetery.
The unknowns listed above are associated with X-4047 through X-4055, Manila Mausoleum #2.
Memorials
Next Of Kin Address
Address of wife, Mrs. Irene McKinney.
The McKinneys had two sons, John and James Cragan, from Irene’s previous marriage.
Location Of Loss
Gunnery Sergeant McKinney died at Cabanatuan Camp #1.
