The Wall › Panel 21W › California › John Calvin Smith
JOHN CALVIN SMITH
Specialist Four · U.S. Army
September 18, 1949 – June 23, 1969
Service recordJohn Calvin Smith, of San Jose, California, served as a Specialist Four in the U.S. Army. He died on June 23, 1969, in Tay Ninh Province, South Vietnam, at age 19. His name is inscribed on Panel 21W, Line 3 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 21W · Line 3
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
- Drafted (Selective Service)
- Occupation
- Infantryman (11B)
- Unit (as recorded)
- 1 CAV DIV AIRMOBILE
- Born
- September 18, 1949
- Home of record
- San Jose, California (Santa Clara County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- June 23, 1969
- Age
- 19
- Province
- Tay Ninh
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Killed in Action
- Circumstance
- Small Arms Fire
Context · from the records
What was happening
65 names on the Wall carry the date June 23, 1969; he was the only one lost in Tây Ninh Province that day. In June 1969, 1,246 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), his unit in the record, lost 108 of its members that month.
Also on Panel 21W, Line 3
- STEVEN JAMES SKEENFirst Lieutenant · June 23, 1969
- CHARLES STOCKTON TAYLORLieutenant (junior grade) · June 23, 1969
- HOMER DANIEL THICKSergeant First Class · June 23, 1969
- FRANKLIN W UNDERWOOD JRStaff Sergeant · June 23, 1969
Same unit, same day
- ANTON JAMES JECMEN JRPrivate First Class · Panel 22W, Line 120
- MARZEL RAY LEESergeant · Panel 22W, Line 122
- WAYNE RUSSELLPrivate First Class · Panel 21W, Line 2
From San Jose
- JOHN WILLIAM IRVING JRFirst Lieutenant · May 8, 1965
- WARREN LESTER ANDERSONCaptain · January 13, 1966
- AUGUSTO MARIA XAVIERFirst Lieutenant · March 10, 1966
- LARRY MICHAEL JORDANLieutenant Commander · April 12, 1966
- RICHARD MICHAEL PATRICKSpecialist Four · May 17, 1966
- GEORGE ALLEN WALDRONPrivate First Class · October 3, 1966
- DALLAS GEORGE GRUNDYPrivate First Class · November 5, 1966
- WILLIAM ALLEN PALENSKEPrivate First Class · November 18, 1966
- RAYMOND BERNAL JRSpecialist Four · November 30, 1966
- WILLIAM DONALD COOK JRSergeant · December 17, 1966
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.