The Wall › Panel 11W › California › John Frederick Downing
JOHN FREDERICK DOWNING
Staff Sergeant · U.S. Army
May 27, 1950 – April 16, 1970
Service recordJohn Frederick Downing, of Redwood City, California, served as a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army. He died on April 16, 1970, in Binh Dinh Province, South Vietnam, at age 19. His name is inscribed on Panel 11W, Line 13 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 11W · Line 13
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
- Infantryman (11B)
- Unit (as recorded)
- 173 AIRBORNE BDE
- Born
- May 27, 1950
- Home of record
- Redwood City, California (San Mateo County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- April 16, 1970
- Age
- 19
- Province
- Binh Dinh
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Died of Wounds
- Circumstance
- Explosive Device
Context · from the records
What was happening
19 names on the Wall carry the date April 16, 1970; two of them were lost in Bình Định Province. In April 1970, 730 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The 173rd Airborne Brigade, his unit in the record, lost 17 of its members that month.
Read the history
On the Wall
Also on Panel 11W, Line 13
- JEFFREY LYNN DAVISSpecialist Four · April 16, 1970
- JAMES KENNETH FLANNERYFirst Lieutenant · April 16, 1970
- DENNIS RALPH HEINZCorporal · April 16, 1970
- EARL HENDERSONPrivate · April 16, 1970
From Redwood City
- RALPH FORRESTER GALVINPrivate · July 29, 1965
- DAVID GEORGE CALLISLance Corporal · March 21, 1966
- JOHN NETO RODRIGUESStaff Sergeant · November 24, 1966
- PHILIP JEREMIAH SMITHPrivate First Class · February 3, 1967
- WALTER ADOLPH WAGNERLance Corporal · June 8, 1967
- MICHAEL GAIL HARVEYWarrant Officer 1 · June 23, 1967
- ALAN MACDONALD STURDYSergeant · July 2, 1967
- JOHN JEROME KOPFERAirman First Class · February 21, 1968
- KENNETH WILLIAM CLAIRECorporal · February 25, 1968
- RONALD ERNEST INGRAMCorporal · July 6, 1968
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.