The Wall › Panel 18W › Pennsylvania › John A Polefka
JOHN A POLEFKA
Corporal · U.S. Army
January 10, 1950 – August 31, 1969
Service recordJohn A Polefka, of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, served as a Corporal in the U.S. Army. He died on August 31, 1969, in Binh Long Province, South Vietnam, at age 19. His name is inscribed on Panel 18W, Line 17 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 18W · Line 17
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
- Corporal (CPL)
- Service
- Regular
- Occupation
- Infantryman (11B)
- Unit (as recorded)
- 1 CAV DIV AIRMOBILE
- Born
- January 10, 1950
- Home of record
- Phoenixville, Pennsylvania (Chester County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- August 31, 1969
- Age
- 19
- Province
- Binh Long
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Killed in Action
- Circumstance
- Artillery/Mortar/Rocket
Context · from the records
What was happening
25 names on the Wall carry the date August 31, 1969; he was the only one lost in Binh Long Province that day. In August 1969, 962 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), his unit in the record, lost 99 of its members that month.
Also on Panel 18W, Line 17
- ROY LYNN PORTERPrivate First Class · August 31, 1969
- MICHAEL PRESLIPSKI JRSergeant · August 31, 1969
- RONALD DEAN ROGERSLance Corporal · August 31, 1969
- EDWIN BYRON RYDERSergeant First Class · August 31, 1969
Same unit, same day
- CHARLIE LYNN COCHRANPrivate First Class · Panel 18W, Line 14
- HOLLIS GARNELL MAPLECorporal · Panel 18W, Line 16
- LAURANCE RICHARD MOHN JRSpecialist Four · Panel 18W, Line 16
- WILLIAM CARRELL WEAVERSergeant First Class · Panel 18W, Line 18
- MARK STEVEN WITTPrivate First Class · Panel 18W, Line 18
From Phoenixville
- THOMAS JOSEPH VONTORPrivate First Class · July 9, 1966
- JAMES ANTHONY KELLY JRLieutenant (junior grade) · October 26, 1966
- RUDOLPH FRANCIS DUNGEEWarrant Officer 1 · February 13, 1967
- LAWRENCE R DETWILER JRSergeant · August 22, 1969
- THOMAS JOSEPH HARTMANSergeant · November 18, 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.