calsfoundation@cals.org
June 5, 2011
At the outbreak of World War II, John Yancey of Conway County enlisted in the Marine Corps, serving in the Pacific Theater in an elite special unit known as Carleson’s Raiders. By war’s end, he had received a Navy Cross and a battlefield commission as lieutenant. He later volunteered for the Korean War, in which he received a Silver Star and a second Navy Cross. He attempted to reenlist to serve in the war in Vietnam, but his request was denied due to his former battle injuries. He died in 1986 and is buried in the Little Rock National Cemetery.