The Wall › Panel 1W › New York › Burdette D Townsend JR
BURDETTE D TOWNSEND JR
Chief Warrant Officer 2 · U.S. Army
November 2, 1945 – June 20, 1972
Service recordBurdette D Townsend JR, of Oneonta, New York, served as a Chief Warrant Officer 2 in the U.S. Army. He died on June 20, 1972, in Binh Long Province, South Vietnam, at age 26. His name is inscribed on Panel 1W, Line 46 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 1W · Line 46
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
- Chief Warrant Officer 2 (CW2)
- Service
- Reserve / National Guard
- Occupation
- Attack Helicopter Pilot (100E)
- Unit (as recorded)
- 1 CAV DIV AIRMOBILE
- Born
- November 2, 1945
- Home of record
- Oneonta, New York (Otsego County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- June 20, 1972
- Age
- 26
- Province
- Binh Long
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Killed in Action
- Circumstance
- Helicopter Crash — crew
Context · from the records
What was happening
Five names on the Wall carry the date June 20, 1972; four of them were lost in Binh Long Province. In June 1972, 88 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), his unit in the record, lost 8 of its members that month.
He died in Binh Long Province while the Easter Offensive was under way. On 30 March 1972, North Vietnam launched its largest offensive since 1968, attacking across the DMZ, toward An Lộc and into the Central Highlands. By then few U.S. ground troops remained; American advisers and air power fought alongside the South Vietnamese.
Also on Panel 1W, Line 46
- RICHARD E NYHOFTechnical Sergeant · June 18, 1972
- FRANK LEROY SETTLELieutenant · June 18, 1972
- ROBERT ALLAN WILSONCaptain · June 18, 1972
- BURR MCBRIDE WILLEYLieutenant Colonel · June 19, 1972
Same unit, same day
- LOUIS KARL BREUER IVFirst Lieutenant · Panel 1W, Line 47
- EDWIN GILBERT NORTHUPCaptain · Panel 1W, Line 47
- STEPHEN EDWARD SHIELDSFirst Lieutenant · Panel 1W, Line 47
From Oneonta
- RICHARD GLEN KOHLANDLance Corporal · November 10, 1967
- LEON ELDRED WATERS JRSpecialist Four · February 24, 1968
- ROBERT ARTHUR WIEDEMANCorporal · February 25, 1968
- ARTHUR DEWEY ELMANDORFSpecialist Four · July 10, 1968
- DONALD ANDREW RITTLINGERLance Corporal · December 22, 1968
- WILLIAM BARTON JONESPrivate First Class · February 25, 1969
- GEORGE F REYNOLDS JRSpecialist Four · March 29, 1969
- JAMES CHRISTOPHER WHEELERSpecialist Four · May 20, 1970
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.