The Wall › Panel 5W › California › Dennis Ray Watterson
DENNIS RAY WATTERSON
Staff Sergeant · U.S. Army
August 16, 1943 – January 8, 1971
Service recordDennis Ray Watterson, of Oildale, California, served as a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army. He died on January 8, 1971, in Quang Ngai Province, South Vietnam, at age 27. His name is inscribed on Panel 5W, Line 35 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 5W · Line 35
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
- Staff Sergeant (SSG)
- Service
- Regular
- Occupation
- Infantryman (11B)
- Unit (as recorded)
- 11 LIGHT INF BDE
- Born
- August 16, 1943
- Home of record
- Oildale, California (Kern County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- January 8, 1971
- Age
- 27
- Province
- Quang Ngai
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Killed in Action
- Circumstance
- Explosive Device
Context · from the records
What was happening
13 names on the Wall carry the date January 8, 1971; four of them were lost in Quảng Ngãi Province. In January 1971, 259 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The 11th Light Infantry Brigade, his unit in the record, lost 9 of its members that month.
Also on Panel 5W, Line 35
- BENNIE FRANK JONESPrivate First Class · January 9, 1971
- DAVID WILLIAM LILLEYSergeant · January 9, 1971
- LOUIS PAYNE SRStaff Sergeant · January 9, 1971
- CLINTON CURTIS ROBINSONSpecialist Four · January 9, 1971
Same unit, same day
- ROBERT DARREL DUFFCorporal · Panel 5W, Line 33
- JAMES ROBERT SHAWSpecialist Four · Panel 5W, Line 34
- ROBERT LAMONT WALKER JRCorporal · Panel 5W, Line 34
From Oildale
- LANHAM ODELL BROYLESSpecialist Four · September 30, 1966
- TERRECE EUGENE EDGARLance Corporal · June 3, 1968
- RONALD RALPH BEAMANCaptain · June 27, 1969
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.