The Wall › Panel 4E › Oregon › Donald Leroy Coates
DONALD LEROY COATES
Staff Sergeant · U.S. Marine Corps
January 19, 1937 – February 1, 1966
Service recordDonald Leroy Coates, of Tigard, Oregon, served as a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps. He died on February 1, 1966, in North Vietnam, at age 29. His name is inscribed on Panel 4E, Line 128 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 4E · Line 128
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. Marine Corps
- Rank
- Staff Sergeant (SSGT)
- Service
- Regular
- Occupation
- Airborne Radio Operator (6725)
- Unit (as recorded)
- VMGR 152 1 MAW
- Born
- January 19, 1937
- Home of record
- Tigard, Oregon (Washington County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- February 1, 1966
- Age
- 29
- Country
- North Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Killed in Action
- Circumstance
- Aircraft Crash — crew
- Remains
- Not recovered as of the 2008 DoD record
Context · from the records
What was happening
25 names on the Wall carry the date February 1, 1966. In February 1966, 513 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The unit recorded as “VMGR 152 1 MAW”, his unit in the record, lost 6 of its members that month.
He died in North Vietnam while Operation Rolling Thunder was under way. Operation Rolling Thunder (March 1965–November 1968) was the sustained U.S. bombing campaign against North Vietnam, flown by Air Force fighter-bombers from Thailand and Navy aircraft from carriers in the Gulf of Tonkin against some of the densest air defenses in the world.
His remains had not been recovered when the 2008 record was compiled. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency continues to search for Americans still missing from the war; families can find case information through dpaa.mil.
Read the history
Also on Panel 4E, Line 128
- JACK WILSON CECILSpecialist Four · February 1, 1966
- CARL JAMES FORRESTERSergeant · February 1, 1966
- BILLY G FRYMaster Sergeant · February 1, 1966
- JOHN HOWARD GRIFFITHPrivate First Class · February 1, 1966
- JERRY RAY RAMBERGERPrivate First Class · February 1, 1966
Same unit, same day
- RICHARD ANDREW ALMMajor · Panel 4E, Line 127
- GALEN FRANCIS HUMPHREYGunnery Sergeant · Panel 4E, Line 129
- RUSSELL BURR LUKERStaff Sergeant · Panel 4E, Line 130
- ALBERT MICHAEL PREVOSTFirst Lieutenant · Panel 4E, Line 130
- PETER GEORGE VLAHAKOSStaff Sergeant · Panel 4E, Line 131
From Tigard
- ALLEN GLAINE WELLSSpecialist Four · August 17, 1966
- JOHN EDWARD YOUNGLance Corporal · May 8, 1967
- GEORGE GEOFFREY KARRSpecialist Four · March 3, 1970
- WILLIAM JAMES LANGMANCaptain · September 27, 1970
- HAROLD NORMAN FLIEGERPrivate First Class · December 7, 1970
- JERRY SHELDON STEARNSSergeant · April 15, 1971
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.