The Wall › Panel 8E › California › John Wallace Tunnell
JOHN WALLACE TUNNELL
Lieutenant Commander · U.S. Navy
June 25, 1933 – June 20, 1966
Service recordJohn Wallace Tunnell, of Vista, California, served as a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy. He died on June 20, 1966, in North Vietnam, at age 32. His name is inscribed on Panel 8E, Line 70 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 8E · Line 70
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. Navy
- Rank
- Lieutenant Commander (LCDR)
- Service
- Reserve / National Guard
- Occupation
- Url Pilot (1317)
- Unit (as recorded)
- VA 145 USS RANGER CVA 61
- Born
- June 25, 1933
- Home of record
- Vista, California (San Diego County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- June 20, 1966
- Age
- 32
- Country
- North Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Non-hostile
- Category
- Accident
- Circumstance
- Aircraft Crash — crew
- Remains
- Not recovered as of the 2008 DoD record
Context · from the records
What was happening
37 names on the Wall carry the date June 20, 1966. In June 1966, 595 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
He died in North Vietnam while Operation Rolling Thunder was under way. Operation Rolling Thunder (March 1965–November 1968) was the sustained U.S. bombing campaign against North Vietnam, flown by Air Force fighter-bombers from Thailand and Navy aircraft from carriers in the Gulf of Tonkin against some of the densest air defenses in the world.
His remains had not been recovered when the 2008 record was compiled. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency continues to search for Americans still missing from the war; families can find case information through dpaa.mil.
Read the history
On the Wall
Also on Panel 8E, Line 70
- EDWIN HAROLD SORNSONPrivate First Class · June 20, 1966
- EDDIE VASQUEZCorporal · June 20, 1966
- RICHARD EDWARD WHITINGPrivate First Class · June 20, 1966
- GEORGE ANTHONY WILLIAMSPrivate · June 20, 1966
From Vista
- DOUGLAS HOLMAN BUTTERFIELDCaptain · June 5, 1967
- JEROME EDDIE WALLY JANSENSpecialist Four · August 20, 1968
- JAMES EDWARD KINNARDSpecialist Four · March 7, 1969
- JAMES OSCAR HALL JRPrivate First Class · June 21, 1969
- KAYLE DEAN HENDERSONSergeant · July 6, 1969
- DAVID WILLIAM FELKNERSergeant · January 11, 1970
- KIRK LESLIE RAUCHSpecialist Four · August 3, 1970
- KENNETH CLIFFORD NOKESSpecialist Five · September 27, 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.