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Military members perform pre-race ceremonies.
BACK TO GALLERIES

2023 600 Miles of Remembrance

By Staff Report | Published: May 26, 2023 44
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
BACK TO GALLERIES

1 of 44

Military members perform pre-race ceremonies.

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

For nearly a decade, the NASCAR community has come together to formally honor and recognize the United States Armed Forces during Military Appreciation Month through the NASCAR Salutes Together with Coca-Cola program. 

To conclude the ninth year of the program, military recognition will once again culminate with each NASCAR Cup Series car and accompanying track vehicle featuring a name of a fallen service member on the windshield in 2023's 600 Miles of Remembrance. Read on to learn more about these heroes who gave their lives defending this country.

2 of 44

James D. Bullard.
No. 1 car: James D. Bullard
Military branch: United States Army, Staff Sergeant 
Hometown: Marion, South Carolina 
Date of birth: June 10, 1979
Date of death: Oct. 30, 2007
Age: 28

Bullard was assigned to: 1st Battalion, 263rd Armor Regiment, South Carolina Army National Guard.

3 of 44

No. 2 car: Jonathan E. Etterling 
Military branch: United States Marine Corps, Lance Corporal
Hometown: Wheelersburg, Ohio
Date of birth: Dec. 27, 1982
Date of death: Jan. 26, 2005 
Age: 22

Etterling was assigned to: 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force.

4 of 44

No. 3 car: Mark Philip Crampton 
Military branch: United States Navy, Master Chief Petty Officer (SEAL)
Hometown: Hamilton, Ohio
Date of birth: June 22, 1959 
Date of death: April 14, 2022 
Age: 62

Crampton served 27 years on active duty in the Naval Special Warfare community and held multiple leadership positions. He completed 10 deployments to Southeast and Southwest Asia, one deployment to Afghanistan and two deployments to Iraq.

5 of 44

No. 4 car: Claudio Patiño IV 
Military branch: United States Marine Corps, Corporal 
Hometown: Yorba Linda, California 
Date of birth: Sept. 19, 1987 
Date of death: June 22, 2010 
Age: 22

Patiño's personal awards include the Bronze Star Medal with Valor, Navy Achievement Medal with Valor, Purple Heart Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Good Conduct Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary and Service Medals and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with two stars.

6 of 44

Martin J. DeHimer
No. 5 car: Martin J. DeHimer 
Military branch: United States Army, Specialist Four 
Hometown: Rome, New York 
Date of birth: Jan. 31, 1949 
Date of death: March 11, 1970 
Age: 21 

DeHimer enlisted in the Army and trained as a Light Weapons Infantryman (11B). He arrived in Vietnam on July 17, 1969 as a member of Company C, 2nd Battalion, 7th Armored Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. He was awarded a Silver Star for his actions on March 11, 1970.

7 of 44

Curtis Roy Cline
No. 6 car: Curtis Roy Cline 
Military branch: United States Army, Staff Sergeant 
Hometown: Burlington, Michigan 
Date of birth: July 29, 1949 
Date of death: Sept. 18, 1969 
Age: 20 

Cline was assigned to: Company D, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division.

8 of 44

Brian Bourgeois
No. 7 car: Brian Bourgeois 
Military branch: United States Navy, Captain (SEAL) 
Hometown: Lake Charles, Louisiana 
Date of birth: Oct. 27, 1978 
Date of death: Dec. 7, 2021 
Age: 43 

Following his graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy in 2001, Bourgeois joined the Naval Special Warfare community where he deployed in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom, Odyssey Dawn and Enduring Freedom. He earned a Bronze Star Medal with Valor and additionally received the Pat Tillman Leadership Award while earning a Master of Science degree in Defense Analysis from the Naval Postgraduate School.

9 of 44

Jack William Roper
No. 8 car: Jack William Roper
Military branch: United States Navy, Radio Technician Second Class 
Hometown: Salt Lake City, Utah 
Date of birth: April 1, 1923 
Date of death: Dec. 7, 1944 
Age: 21 

After graduating high school and working at the Western Electric Company, Roper enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served aboard the destroyer USS Mahan. Roper was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart after his ship was struck by a kamikaze aircraft in the Pacific Theater.

10 of 44

Christopher S. Seifert
No. 9 car: Christopher S. Seifert 
Military branch: United States Army, Captain 
Hometown: Williams Township, Pennsylvania 
Date of birth: April 24, 1975 
Date of death: March 23, 2003 
Age: 27

After serving as a member of the Army Reserve Officers Training Corps at Lehigh University, Seifert joined the U.S. Army ranks as a second lieutenent on May 31, 1997, and in 2001, reclassified from infantry to military intelligence. Seifert was assigned to 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).

11 of 44

Daniel McVicker
No. 10 car: Daniel McVicker
Military branch: United States Marine Corps, Lance Corporal 
Hometown: Alliance, Ohio 
Date of birth: Dec. 27, 1984 
Date of death: Oct. 6, 2005 
Age: 20 

McVicker enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 2003. He was killed when his Humvee struck an improvised explosive device (IED) during Operation River Gate.

12 of 44

Kevin Joseph Smith
No. 11 car: Kevin Joseph Smith 
Military branch: United States Army, Captain 
Hometown: Brandon, Florida 
Date of birth: Oct. 19, 1977
Date of death: Dec. 8, 2005 
Age: 28 

Smith attended the U.S. Military Academy and graduated from there in 2001.

13 of 44

David Kenneth J. Kreuter.
No. 12 car: David Kenneth J. Kreuter 
Military branch: United States Marine Corps, Sergeant 
Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio 
Date of birth: June 25, 1979 
Date of death: Aug. 3, 2005 
Age: 26

Kreuter was assigned to: 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve.

14 of 44

James Oxley

No. 14 car: James Oxley 
Military branch: United States Navy, Hospitalman 
Hometown: Bradford, Pennsylvania 
Date of birth: April 3, 1946 
Date of death: Nov. 30, 1967 
Age: 21

Oxley enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1966 and was deployed to Vietnam on July 15, 1967. He was killed during Operation Kentucky. 

15 of 44

Michael A. Dickinson II.
No. 15 car: Michael A. Dickinson II 
Military branch: United States Army, Staff Sergeant 
Hometown: Battle Creek, Michigan 
Date of birth: April 20, 1980 
Date of death: July 17, 2006
Age: 26 

Dickinson was assigned to: 9th Psychological Operations Battalion, 4th Psychological Operations Group, United States Army Special Operations Command.

16 of 44

No. 16 car: Theodore M. West
Military branch: United States Army, Private First Class 
Hometown: Richmond, Kentucky 
Date of birth: Aug. 4, 1983 
Date of death: Nov. 29, 2006 
Age: 23 

West was assigned to: 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division.

17 of 44

Ari Cullers
No. 17 car: Ari Cullers 
Military branch: United States Army, Staff Sergeant 
Hometown: New London, Connecticut 
Date of birth: March 30, 1983 
Date of death: Oct. 30, 2011 
Age: 28 

Cullers did two tours to Afghanistan. He was killed by a rocket-propelled grenade while deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan.

18 of 44

Rusten Radford Smith.
No. 19 car: Rusten Radford Smith 
Military branch: United States Army, Chief Warrant Officer 2 
Hometown: St. James, Missouri 
Date of birth: Aug. 7, 1990 
Date of death: March 29, 2023
Age: 32 

Smith was assigned to: C Company, 6th Battalion, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).

19 of 44

William F.
No. 20 car: William F. "Sonny" Hinchman 
Military branch: United States Army, Chief Warrant Officer 5 
Hometown: Worthington, Indiana 
Date of birth: Nov. 11, 1966 
Date of death: July 17, 2009 
Age: 42 

Over the course of his military career, Hinchman did multiple tours to Iraq and other locations throughout the globe while serving in numerous aviation combat units, including Task Force 160, the U.S. Army's Special Operations Aviation Regiment. Hinchman died in a MD-530 helicopter crash near Baghdad, Iraq.

20 of 44

No. 21 car: Shawn M. Dunkin 
Military branch: United States Army, Sergeant 
Hometown: Columbia, South Carolina 
Date of birth: Feb. 27, 1981 
Date of death: Feb. 19, 2007 
Age: 25 

Dunkin was assigned to: 1st Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division.

21 of 44

Shawn M. Dunkin.
No. 22 car: Joshua J. Robinson 
Military branch: United States Marine Corps, Sergeant 
Hometown: Omaha, Nebraska 
Date of birth: Oct. 28, 1981 
Date of death: Aug. 7, 2011
Age: 29 

Robinson was assigned to: 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force.

22 of 44

Luther Rabon Jr.
No. 23 car: Luther Rabon Jr. 
Military branch: United States Army, Specialist 
Hometown: Lexington, South Carolina 
Date of birth: Aug. 21, 1978 
Date of death: Oct. 1, 2010 
Age: 32

Rabon Jr. was assigned to: 1221st Engineer Clearance Company, South Carolina Army National Guard.

23 of 44

No. 24 car: Scott Cooper Dayton 
Military branch: United States Navy, Senior Chief Petty Officer 
Hometown: Woodbridge, Virginia 
Date of birth: July 30, 1974 
Date of death: Nov. 24, 2016 
Age: 42 

Dayton was a 23-year veteran of the U.S. Navy. He served as an elite Navy Special Operations community known as Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD). Dayton was the first American service member killed in the ongoing conflict with Syria after sustaining wounds from an improvised explosive device (IED).

24 of 44

No. 31 car: Wilfred Flores Jr. 
Military branch: United States Army, Specialist 
Hometown: Lawton, Oklahoma 
Date of birth: April 10, 1986 
Date of death: March 31, 2007 
Age: 30 

Flores Jr. was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division.

25 of 44

Ryan Michael Connolly
No. 34 car: Ryan Michael Connolly 
Military branch: United States Army, Chief Warrant Officer 3 
Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri
Date of birth: Nov. 14, 1980 
Date of death: April 6, 2018 
Age: 37 

Connolly joined the U.S. Army in 2001 and served for 17 years. While acting as an instructor pilot for the 101st Airborne Division, Connolly was killed when his Apache helicopter's night vision system failed and caused an impact with the ground.

26 of 44

Kevin Christopher Kimmerly
No. 38 car: Kevin Christopher Kimmerly 
Military branch: United States Army, Staff Sergeant 
Hometown: North Creek, New York 
Date of birth: Sept. 14, 1972 
Date of death: Sept. 15, 2003 
Age: 31

Kimmerly joined the U.S. Army in 1991. Kimmerly was killed in action after being struck by a rocket-propelled grenade.

27 of 44

No. 41 car: Bradley J. Harper 
Military branch: United States Marine Corps, Sergeant 
Hometown: Chesapeake, Virginia 
Date of birth: Nov. 1, 1979 
Date of death: Aug. 3, 2005 
Age: 25 

After serving as a reservist until 2004, Harper was transferred to the 4th Assault Amphibian Battalion. His unit was mobilized to Iraq in early 2005. Harper was killed while on patrol when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device (IED).

28 of 44

No. 42 car: Joseph Menusa 
Military branch: United States Marine Corps, Gunnery Sergeant 
Home country: Phillipines 
Date of birth: Feb. 13, 1970 
Date of death: March 27, 2003 
Age: 33

Menusa immigrated to the United States at the age of 10. He served during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Menusa was killed in action in an ambush while in Iraq. He was posthumously awarded U.S. citizenship.

29 of 44

Stephen
No. 43 car: Stephen "Cajun" Del Bagno 
Military branch: United States Air Force, Major 
Hometown: Valencia, California 
Date of birth: April 30, 1983 
Date of death: April 4, 2018 
Age: 34

Del Bagno dreamed of being in the U.S. Air Force since the age of 3. Del Bagno eventually saw those dreams come to fruition when he joined the branch and was commissioned in 2007. Del Bagno was killed when his aircraft crashed during a routine training mission over the Nevada Test and Training Range.

30 of 44

Samuel T. Castle
No. 45 car: Samuel T. Castle 
Military branch: United States Army, Sergeant 
Hometown: Hughes Springs, Texas 
Date of birth: June 12, 1978 
Date of death: May 10, 2005 
Age: 26 

Castle was stationed in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and was assigned to: 327th Signal Battalion, 35th Signal Brigade. Castle was killed in action when a roadside bomb hit his convoy in Iraq.

31 of 44

Alessandro
No. 47 car: Alessandro "Sandrino" L. Plutino 
Military branch: United States Army, Sergeant 
Hometown: Pitman, New Jersey 
Date of birth: Aug. 23, 1982 
Date of death: Aug. 8, 2011 
Age: 28 

Plutino was on his sixth deployment at the time of his death, having previously served three deployments in Iraq and two others in Afghanistan. Plutino was mortally wounded while on the containment side of a direct action raid in Afghanistan.

32 of 44

Nicholas Allen Tomko
No. 48 car: Nicholas Allen Tomko 
Military branch: United States Army, Sergeant 
Hometown: McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania 
Date of birth: Feb. 16, 1979 
Date of death: Nov. 9, 2003 
Age: 24 

Tomko joined the U.S. Army in 1998 and was stationed in Iraq by February 2003. He additionally served in Operation Joint Forge in Bosnia-Herzegovina for nine months in 2001. Tomko was killed in action while serving as a door gunner during a night patrol in Baghdad, Iraq.

33 of 44

James Eddie Reed
No. 51 car: James Eddie Reed 
Military branch: United States Army, Captain 
Hometown: Kingsport, Tennessee 
Date of birth: Dec. 4, 1942 
Date of death: Feb. 1, 1968 
Age: 25

Reed was assigned to: Company A, 3rd Battalion, 39th Infantry, 9th Infantry Division.

34 of 44

Michael H. Simpson
No. 54 car: Michael H. Simpson 
Military branch: United States Army, Staff Sergeant 
Hometown: San Antonio, Texas 
Date of birth: Feb. 13, 1983 
Date of death: May 1, 2013 
Age: 30 

Simpson joined the U.S. Army in 2003. He died of wounds sustained from an improvised explosive device (IED) attack in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan.

35 of 44

Joshua R. Ashley
No. 77 car: Joshua R. Ashley 
Military branch: United States Marine Corps, Sergeant 
Hometown: Rancho Cucamonga, California 
Date of birth: May 27, 1989 
Date of death: July 19, 2012 
Age: 23 

Ashley was assigned to: 2nd Law Enforcement Battalion, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Marine Special Operations Team 8132).

36 of 44

Isaac Lee Johnson Jr.
No. 78 car: Isaac Lee Johnson Jr. 
Military branch: United States Army, Specialist 
Hometown: Columbus, Georgia 
Date of birth: Dec. 8, 1984 
Date of death: July 6, 2009 
Age: 24

Johnson was assigned to: 1st Battalion, 108th Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition Squadron, Georgia National Guard.

37 of 44

Kendell K. Frederick
No. 84 car: Kendell K. Frederick 
Military branch: United States Army, Sergeant 
Hometown: Randallstown, Maryland 
Date of birth: Aug. 17, 1984 
Date of death: Oct. 19, 2005 
Age: 21 

Frederick was assigned to: 983rd Engineer Battalion, United States Army Reserve.

38 of 44

Dennis Michael White.
No. 99 car: Dennis Michael White 
Military branch: United States Air Force, Captain 
Hometown: Lees Summit, Missouri 
Date of birth: Feb. 3, 1961 
Date of death: April 18, 1995 
Age: 34 

White served in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. He was killed following an F-15E system malfunction.

39 of 44

Pace car: Jonathan F. Davis 
Military branch: United States Army, Specialist 
Hometown: Griffin, Georgia 
Date of birth: Jan. 7, 1992 
Date of death: March 29, 2012 
Age: 20 

Davis was assigned to: 4th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division.

40 of 44

Matthias N. Hanson
Split pace car: Matthias N. Hanson 
Military branch: United States Marine Corps, Lance Corporal 
Hometown: Buffalo, Kentucky 
Date of birth: Jan. 26, 1990 
Date of death: Feb. 21, 2010 
Age: 20 

Hanson was assigned to: 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force.

41 of 44

Jeremy P. Bouffard.
Grand Marshal 1: Jeremy P. Bouffard 
Military branch: United States Army, Corporal 
Hometown: Middlefield, Massachusetts 
Date of birth: Jan. 8, 1986 
Date of death: Aug. 22, 2007 
Age: 21 

Bouffard was assigned to: 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division.

42 of 44

Clint J. Storey.
Grand Marshal 2: Clint J. Storey 
Military branch: United States Army, Staff Sergeant 
Hometown: Enid, Oklahoma 
Date of birth: Feb. 27, 1976 
Date of death: Aug. 4, 2006 
Age: 30 

Storey was assigned to: 1st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Division.

43 of 44

Kenneth E. New.
Grand Marshal 3: Kenneth E. New 
Military branch: United States Army, Private 
Home state: Missouri 
Date of birth: Nov. 26, 1919 
Date of death: Nov. 11, 1944 
Age: 24 

New was assigned to: 328th Infantry Regiment, 26th Infantry Division.

44 of 44

Andrew Kearney.
Grand Marshal 4: Andrew Kearney 
Military branch: United States Marine Corps, Lance Corporal 
Hometown: Lexington, Kentucky 
Date of birth: June 10, 1923 
Date of death: June 16, 1944 
Age: 21 

Kearney was assigned to: 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division.
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