The Wall › Panel 36E › California › Bernard David Thompson JR
BERNARD DAVID THOMPSON JR
Lieutenant Colonel · U.S. Army
June 12, 1927 – January 31, 1968
Service recordBernard David Thompson JR, of Los Angeles, California, served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army. He died on January 31, 1968, in Vinh Long Province, South Vietnam, at age 40. His name is inscribed on Panel 36E, Line 39 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 36E · Line 39
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
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Service
- Branch
- U.S. Army
- Rank
- Lieutenant Colonel (LTC)
- Service
- Reserve / National Guard
- Unit (as recorded)
- 1 AVN BDE
- Born
- June 12, 1927
- Home of record
- Los Angeles, California (Los Angeles County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- January 31, 1968
- Age
- 40
- Province
- Vinh Long
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Killed in Action
- Circumstance
- Small Arms Fire
Context · from the records
What was happening
246 names on the Wall carry the date January 31, 1968; eight of them were lost in Vinh Long Province. In January 1968, 1,546 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The 1st Aviation Brigade, his unit in the record, lost 33 of its members that month.
He died in Vinh Long Province while the Tet Offensive was under way. Beginning on the night of 30–31 January 1968, Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces attacked more than 100 cities and towns across South Vietnam, including the U.S. Embassy in Saigon. February 1968 was the deadliest month of the war for Americans.
Also on Panel 36E, Line 39
- WILLIAM JOSEPH STEFFESSpecialist Five · January 31, 1968
- PATRICK JOSEPH STRAYERStaff Sergeant · January 31, 1968
- GERALD DEWAYNE SULLIVANSergeant · January 31, 1968
- JOHNIE B THOMASSergeant · January 31, 1968
Same unit, same day
- ROGER SLETTEN CAMERONWarrant Officer 1 · Panel 36E, Line 1
- DWIGHT A DEDRICKWarrant Officer 1 · Panel 36E, Line 5
- WILLIAM BRADLEY DUNCANWarrant Officer 1 · Panel 36E, Line 7
- AUBREY GOFF JRSergeant · Panel 36E, Line 10
- FRED KAWAILANI MAS HATADASpecialist Four · Panel 36E, Line 13
- KENNETH EUGENE HOTCHKISSPrivate First Class · Panel 36E, Line 16
- THOMAS WOODROW MOORESpecialist Four · Panel 36E, Line 25
- DONALD LAMAR SMITHSergeant · Panel 36E, Line 36
- JAMES MATHEW VRBA JRMajor · Panel 36E, Line 41
- CHARLES AUGUSTUS YEOMANSPrivate First Class · Panel 36E, Line 44
From Los Angeles
- JAMES WILLIAM MCNALLYTechnical Sergeant · October 23, 1963
- FRANK JOHN HOLGUINPrivate First Class · March 15, 1964
- RICHARD DEAN GOSSCaptain · August 29, 1964
- JOHN LOWERY MCCOYSergeant First Class · September 26, 1964
- JAMES HENRY MCLEANMaster Sergeant · February 9, 1965
- DWIGHT GLENN FRAKESChief Petty Officer · February 24, 1965
- AARON HAROLD WESTERNPrivate First Class · June 16, 1965
- EDWARD JAMES ANDERSPrivate First Class · June 18, 1965
- MAURICE RICHARD HILLPrivate · June 29, 1965
- WILLIAM WARREN HAILLieutenant Colonel · August 2, 1965
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.