The Wall › Panel 52W › California › Donald James Smith
DONALD JAMES SMITH
Specialist Four · U.S. Army
April 5, 1949 – July 17, 1968
Service recordDonald James Smith, of San Francisco, California, served as a Specialist Four in the U.S. Army. He died on July 17, 1968, in Binh Thuan Province, South Vietnam, at age 19. His name is inscribed on Panel 52W, Line 47 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 52W · Line 47
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
- Specialist Four (SP4)
- Service
- Regular
- Occupation
- Medical Specialist (91B)
- Unit (as recorded)
- 101 AIRBORNE DIV
- Born
- April 5, 1949
- Home of record
- San Francisco, California (San Francisco County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- July 17, 1968
- Age
- 19
- Province
- Binh Thuan
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Killed in Action
- Circumstance
- Small Arms Fire
Context · from the records
What was happening
43 names on the Wall carry the date July 17, 1968; two of them were lost in Binh Thuan Province. In July 1968, 993 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The 101st Airborne Division, his unit in the record, lost 80 of its members that month.
Also on Panel 52W, Line 47
- PATRICK R SCULLY JRFirst Lieutenant · July 17, 1968
- GARY DALE TICELance Corporal · July 17, 1968
- DALLAS RAY TRAVISPrivate First Class · July 17, 1968
- WILLIAM B WEATHERS IIICorporal · July 17, 1968
Same unit, same day
- DOUGLAS ALLEN HENNINGPrivate · Panel 52W, Line 43
From San Francisco
- BRUCE CHARLES FARRELLLieutenant · October 8, 1963
- JOHN F SANTOS JRCaptain · April 28, 1964
- HARRY PAUL GAMBLEPrivate First Class · June 7, 1965
- LUDWIG PETER KOHLERPrivate First Class · July 26, 1965
- WILLIAM GEORGE WHEATLEYPrivate First Class · October 13, 1965
- EVERETT WILLIAM GOIASSpecialist Four · November 8, 1965
- JOHN ARTHUR NATHANSpecialist Four · November 8, 1965
- RONALD DENNIS FERGUSONSpecialist Four · November 15, 1965
- JOSE WILFREDO SUAREZSpecialist Five · November 20, 1965
- LAAVALE FUATAU TAGATALance Corporal · December 3, 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.