When first organized in 1929, the post chose to honor the first casualty of WWI from the Picayune, Mississippi area, Barney W. "Bonnie" McSween. In 2015 surviving family members interviewed by Post Officers recounted that Mr. McSween died in a Naval Hospital from pneumonia.

In November, 1946 the post added a second namesake from the WWII era, George S. Johnston, the first fighting man from the area to be killed in the war. Mr. Johnston was mortally wounded while serving as a boilermaker aboard the destroyer USS JACOB JONES was sunk with two torpedo hits from an enemy submarine just before dawn on February 28, 1942 off the coast of Cape May, New Jersey.