For a listing of UK basketball players who served in the military, please consult this page.
| Name | Photo | Date of Death | Branch | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Howard Kinne |  | 9/29/1918 | Army Air Corps | Lieutenant Howard J. Kinne, a member of the American Expeditionary Force, was shot down over France in late September of 1918. He was the first aviator from the Commonwealth of Kentucky to be killed in action. |
| James King |  | 2/24/1944 | Army Air Corps | King entered the Army Air Corps on August 20, 1942. He trained at various air fields in this country and arrived in England the first of December, 1943. Lt. King had participated in one raid over enemy territory when he was killed. He lost his life February 24, 1944, near Gotha, Germany, when the B-24 on which he was co-pilot was shot down. |
| James Goforth |  | 6/22/1944 | Marines | Lt. Goforth served with the Fourth Marine Division in the Marshall Islands campaign. After leading his company for several days after his captain was wounded, he was killed June 22, 1944, by machine gun fire during the battle of Saipan. Decorations included the Bronze Star, the Presidential Citation, and the Silver Star. |
| Melvin Brewer |  | 8/6/1944 | Army | Brewer entered the Army on May 10, 1943, following his graduation from the University where he had taken advanced military training. He received his commission at Ft. Benning, Ga., and was sent overseas for combat. Lt. Brewer lost his life while fighting in France on August 6, 1944. |
| Kenneth England |  | 4/14/1945 | Army | During the war Captain England commanded the 10th Mountain Division, the only ski troop in America. In December of 1944 he left for duty in Italy. He led the division in taking Mt. Belvedere from the Nazis, for which he won the Bronze Star. In the final campaign in Italy he died of wounds received while crossing a mine field on April 14, 1945. Besides the Bronze Star he had been awarded the Silver Star. An athletic field in Italy was named England Field. |
| Walter Johnson |  | 7/30/1945 | Navy | Johnson entered the Navy in February, 1944. After completing his training he was given sea duty as gunner's mate aboard the cruiser Indianapolis. After taking part in many of the major campaigns in the Pacific including Iwo Jima, Guam, the Philippines and Okinawa, he was reported missing when his ship was sunk by a Japanese submarine after delivering atom bomb supplies to Guam. In September Seaman Johnson was officially reported as killed in action. |
