The Wall › Panel 45W › California › Benito Contreras JR
BENITO CONTRERAS JR
Sergeant · U.S. Army
February 1, 1944 – September 1, 1968
Service recordBenito Contreras JR, of Whittier, California, served as a Sergeant in the U.S. Army. He died on September 1, 1968, in Kien Tuong Province, South Vietnam, at age 24. His name is inscribed on Panel 45W, Line 18 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 45W · Line 18
Names are inscribed in the order of loss, starting at Panel 1E at the apex and ending at Panel 1W. At the Memorial, find the panel number at the base and count down from the top line.
Remember
Did you know him? Family members and friends are invited to share a photograph or a memory. Nothing is posted until it has been reviewed.
Service
- Branch
- U.S. Army
- Rank
- Sergeant (SGT)
- Service
- Regular
- Occupation
- Redstone Electronic Mechanic (21B)
- Unit (as recorded)
- SPECIAL FORCES
- Born
- February 1, 1944
- Home of record
- Whittier, California (Los Angeles County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- September 1, 1968
- Age
- 24
- Province
- Kien Tuong
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Killed in Action
- Circumstance
- Artillery/Mortar/Rocket
Context · from the records
What was happening
28 names on the Wall carry the date September 1, 1968; he was the only one lost in Kien Tuong Province that day. In September 1968, 1,184 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
Special Forces, his unit in the record, lost 9 of its members that month.
Read the history
On the Wall
Also on Panel 45W, Line 18
- FRANKLIN EMMETT ANDERSONChief Petty Officer · September 1, 1968
- DANIEL DEAN BUSSESergeant · September 1, 1968
- KIRBY JON DOUGHERTYPrivate First Class · September 1, 1968
- WILLIAM JOHN FLINTCorporal · September 1, 1968
From Whittier
- CLIFFORD WAYNE MCROBERTSSergeant · February 7, 1966
- DAVID MICHAEL OLANDSpecialist Four · June 8, 1966
- RICHARD MIGUEL HARTNELLPrivate First Class · July 31, 1966
- DANNY RAY RUNDLEPrivate First Class · September 18, 1966
- WAYNE NORMAN CARDCorporal · February 16, 1967
- HUGO ARTHUR BOCANEGRAPrivate First Class · July 31, 1967
- ROBERT CHARLES MELENDREZSpecialist Four · November 12, 1967
- MICHAEL JOHN THIRKETTLEPetty Officer Third Class · November 26, 1967
- DANIEL ALEXANDER VERDUGOLance Corporal · December 21, 1967
- ROBERT BLAIR ENGLAND IIPrivate First Class · January 29, 1968
Source. U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Casualty Analysis System, Vietnam Conflict Extract Data File (as of April 29, 2008), Records of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Record Group 330, National Archives (NAID 2240992). Panel and line as recorded in that file. This page presents the official record and its historical context; no biography has been written for him yet. See something wrong? Report a correction.