The Wall › Panel 9W › Georgia › John Darvin Bell
JOHN DARVIN BELL
Staff Sergeant · U.S. Army
November 26, 1939 – June 17, 1970
Service recordJohn Darvin Bell, of Ludowici, Georgia, served as a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army. He died on June 17, 1970, in Cambodia, at age 30. His name is inscribed on Panel 9W, Line 59 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 9W · Line 59
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
- Staff Sergeant (SSG)
- Service
- Regular
- Occupation
- Armor Crewman (11E)
- Unit (as recorded)
- 11 ARMORED CAV
- Born
- November 26, 1939
- Home of record
- Ludowici, Georgia (Long County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- June 17, 1970
- Age
- 30
- Country
- Cambodia
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Killed in Action
- Circumstance
- Small Arms Fire
Context · from the records
What was happening
16 names on the Wall carry the date June 17, 1970. In June 1970, 560 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The unit recorded as “11 ARMORED CAV”, his unit in the record, lost 21 of its members that month.
He died in Cambodia while the Cambodian incursion was under way. From 29 April to 30 June 1970, U.S. and South Vietnamese forces crossed into Cambodia to attack North Vietnamese base areas and supply caches; the announcement set off campus protests, including at Kent State.
Also on Panel 9W, Line 59
- DEVERTON C COCHRANESergeant First Class · June 17, 1970
- PRESTON HENRY ELLISStaff Sergeant · June 17, 1970
- HAROLD ALFRED GREENSergeant · June 17, 1970
- THOMAS GARY HAGERPrivate First Class · June 17, 1970
From Ludowici
- JIMMIE TAVY SMILEYSergeant · March 18, 1966
- MILLARD LEON TREADWELL JRMajor · June 3, 1967
- THOMAS GALE GAINESLance Corporal · February 11, 1968
- WILLIAM EDWARD SAPPSpecialist Four · June 7, 1968
- THOMAS CLINTON SMITH JRCorporal · April 8, 1970
- HARRY LAWRENCE MCLAMBMajor · June 18, 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.