The Wall › Panel 23W › Washington › John Melvin Blackford
JOHN MELVIN BLACKFORD
Staff Sergeant · U.S. Marine Corps
November 2, 1946 – June 7, 1969
Service recordJohn Melvin Blackford, of Tacoma, Washington, served as a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps. He died on June 7, 1969, in Quang Nam Province, South Vietnam, at age 22. His name is inscribed on Panel 23W, Line 95 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 23W · Line 95
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. Marine Corps
- Rank
- Staff Sergeant (SSGT)
- Service
- Regular
- Occupation
- Machinegunner (0331)
- Born
- November 2, 1946
- Home of record
- Tacoma, Washington (Pierce County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- June 7, 1969
- Age
- 22
- Province
- Quang Nam
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Killed in Action
- Circumstance
- Small Arms Fire
Context · from the records
What was happening
70 names on the Wall carry the date June 7, 1969; 38 of them were lost in Quảng Nam Province. In June 1969, 1,246 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
Also on Panel 23W, Line 95
- DONALD ARRIBILance Corporal · June 7, 1969
- LARRY NEIL BAKKESergeant · June 7, 1969
- FREDERICK DOUGLAS BARGEPrivate First Class · June 7, 1969
- FREDERICK LEE BENISHEKCorporal · June 7, 1969
From Tacoma
- LOUIE GENE FRITTSPrivate First Class · October 3, 1965
- JOHN SHAW SABINE IVCaptain · March 30, 1966
- EDGARDO CACERESLance Corporal · May 12, 1966
- HOWARD ANTHONY MESOYEDZGunnery Sergeant · June 2, 1966
- GARY RICHARD HOLTPrivate First Class · June 24, 1966
- JIMMY GENE BRAISPrivate First Class · August 10, 1966
- THOMAS MICHAEL MOORESeaman Apprentice · November 1, 1966
- RAY NIXONSergeant · February 26, 1967
- DONALD L PENDERSergeant · February 26, 1967
- MAX PAUL STARKELCaptain · March 23, 1967
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.