The Wall › Panel 5W › West Virginia › James Leroy Smith
JAMES LEROY SMITH
First Lieutenant · U.S. Army
April 5, 1944 – February 15, 1971
Service recordJames Leroy Smith, of Pineville, West Virginia, served as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He died on February 15, 1971, in Thua Thien Province, South Vietnam, at age 26. His name is inscribed on Panel 5W, Line 108 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 5W · Line 108
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
- First Lieutenant (1LT)
- Service
- Regular
- Occupation
- Parachutist, Infantry Unit Commander (71542)
- Unit (as recorded)
- 101 AIRBORNE DIV
- Born
- April 5, 1944
- Home of record
- Pineville, West Virginia (Wyoming County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- February 15, 1971
- Age
- 26
- Province
- Thua Thien
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Killed in Action
- Circumstance
- Helicopter Crash — Passenger (MC)
Context · from the records
What was happening
33 names on the Wall carry the date February 15, 1971; 13 of them were lost in Thừa Thiên Province. In February 1971, 387 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The 101st Airborne Division, his unit in the record, lost 50 of its members that month.
Also on Panel 5W, Line 108
- STANLEY EUGENE REDMONSpecialist Four · February 15, 1971
- RICHARD BENNETT RINEHARTCorporal · February 15, 1971
- WILLIAM DANIEL SAPPChief Warrant Officer 2 · February 15, 1971
- ROY DELL SHINGLERSergeant · February 15, 1971
Same unit, same day
- RICHARD NORMAN BRUSOSpecialist Six · Panel 5W, Line 104
- JOSEPH SCOTT BURKEWarrant Officer 1 · Panel 5W, Line 105
- JAMES PAUL COBBSergeant · Panel 5W, Line 105
- RICHARD NEIL CONCANNONChief Warrant Officer 2 · Panel 5W, Line 105
- WILLIS CALVIN CREARSpecialist Four · Panel 5W, Line 105
- DONALD EVERETT CRONESpecialist Four · Panel 5W, Line 106
- STEVEN GLENN ENGLANDSergeant · Panel 5W, Line 106
- BARRY FRANK FIVELSONWarrant Officer 1 · Panel 5W, Line 106
- JOHN WILLIAM HOWELLSergeant · Panel 5W, Line 106
- ZEBULON MURPHY JOHNSON JRSpecialist Four · Panel 5W, Line 106
- MARVIN MAURICE LEONARDChief Warrant Officer 2 · Panel 5W, Line 107
- LARRY FREEMAN OTTCorporal · Panel 5W, Line 107
- JOHN LYNN POWERSSpecialist Four · Panel 5W, Line 107
- RICHARD BENNETT RINEHARTCorporal · Panel 5W, Line 108
- WILLIAM DANIEL SAPPChief Warrant Officer 2 · Panel 5W, Line 108
- YOSHIO TAKEHARASergeant First Class · Panel 5W, Line 109
- JAMES HARRY TAYLORSecond Lieutenant · Panel 5W, Line 109
- GABRIEL TRUJILLOSergeant · Panel 5W, Line 110
- GERALD PAUL WICKCaptain · Panel 5W, Line 110
From Pineville
- GARY LEE GAINERSpecialist Four · December 12, 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.