The Wall › Panel 10W › Ohio › John William Merschman
JOHN WILLIAM MERSCHMAN
Specialist Four · U.S. Army
August 14, 1949 – May 10, 1970
Service recordJohn William Merschman, of Delphos, Ohio, served as a Specialist Four in the U.S. Army. He died on May 10, 1970, in Cambodia, at age 20. His name is inscribed on Panel 10W, Line 14 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 10W · Line 14
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
- Drafted (Selective Service)
- Occupation
- Aircraft Maintenance Apprentice (67A)
- Unit (as recorded)
- 1 AVN BDE
- Born
- August 14, 1949
- Home of record
- Delphos, Ohio (Allen County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- May 10, 1970
- Age
- 20
- Country
- Cambodia
- Casualty type
- Non-hostile
- Category
- Accident
- Circumstance
- Helicopter Crash — crew
Context · from the records
What was happening
30 names on the Wall carry the date May 10, 1970. In May 1970, 917 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The 1st Aviation Brigade, his unit in the record, lost 62 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 10W, Line 14
- GERALD JAMES LYNCHStaff Sergeant · May 10, 1970
- BRIAN EDWARD MCCARTHYCorporal · May 10, 1970
- EDDIE MOLINO JRCaptain · May 10, 1970
- ERNEST LAWRENCE MOORESergeant · May 10, 1970
Same unit, same day
- WILLIAM JOSEPH GOLDENSpecialist Four · Panel 10W, Line 12
- EDDIE MOLINO JRCaptain · Panel 10W, Line 14
- ALLAN LESLIE SMITHMajor · Panel 10W, Line 16
- GARY ALLEN TURNBULLSergeant · Panel 10W, Line 16
From Delphos
- CURTIS ROBERT STOCKLINSpecialist Four · January 10, 1969
- ROBERT LEE KINGSpecialist Four · June 25, 1969
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.