The Wall › Panel 34W › New Mexico › John Olivio Tafoya
JOHN OLIVIO TAFOYA
Specialist Four · U.S. Army
May 24, 1950 – January 24, 1969
Service recordJohn Olivio Tafoya, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, served as a Specialist Four in the U.S. Army. He died on January 24, 1969, in Pleiku Province, South Vietnam, at age 18. His name is inscribed on Panel 34W, Line 72 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 34W · Line 72
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
- Regular
- Occupation
- Aircraft Maintenance Apprentice (67A)
- Unit (as recorded)
- 1 AVN BDE
- Born
- May 24, 1950
- Home of record
- Albuquerque, New Mexico (Bernalillo County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- January 24, 1969
- Age
- 18
- Province
- Pleiku
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Killed in Action
- Circumstance
- Helicopter Crash — crew
Context · from the records
What was happening
20 names on the Wall carry the date January 24, 1969; four of them were lost in Pleiku Province. In January 1969, 985 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The 1st Aviation Brigade, his unit in the record, lost 47 of its members that month.
Also on Panel 34W, Line 72
- GLENN HASKELL ROLLINSSergeant · January 24, 1969
- RICHARD JOHN SADICKPrivate First Class · January 24, 1969
- RAYMOND WALTER SULLIVANSpecialist Four · January 24, 1969
- PAUL FRANCIS TERSTEEGEStaff Sergeant · January 24, 1969
Same unit, same day
- SCOTT CRAIG GRISWOLDWarrant Officer 1 · Panel 34W, Line 70
- WILLIAM HERBERT MCDONNELLWarrant Officer 1 · Panel 34W, Line 71
- BRUCE WAYNE WESTMORELANDSpecialist Four · Panel 34W, Line 71
From Albuquerque
- RICHARD ELMER HAMILTONSergeant · October 6, 1962
- RICHARD EUGENE HEISTERFirst Lieutenant · June 2, 1965
- DONALD CHARLES PATCHCaptain · October 2, 1965
- LON M FLETCHERPrivate · October 5, 1965
- PEDRO PADILLASergeant · March 28, 1966
- WILLIAM LEROY WALTONPrivate First Class · April 25, 1966
- GEORGE DAYTON ADAMSSergeant · April 26, 1966
- JACOB HENRY FOWNERPrivate First Class · May 2, 1966
- JUAN DIEGO SANCHEZPrivate First Class · July 22, 1966
- BENNY SENAPrivate First Class · July 25, 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.