The Wall › Panel 37W › Mississippi › Joseph Ray Thornton
JOSEPH RAY THORNTON
Private · U.S. Army
October 28, 1949 – December 5, 1968
Service recordJoseph Ray Thornton, of Jackson, Mississippi, served as a Private in the U.S. Army. He died on December 5, 1968, in Hua Nghia Province, South Vietnam, at age 19. His name is inscribed on Panel 37W, Line 48 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 37W · Line 48
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
- Private (PVT)
- Service
- Regular
- Occupation
- Infantryman (11B)
- Unit (as recorded)
- 25 INF DIV
- Born
- October 28, 1949
- Home of record
- Jackson, Mississippi (Hinds County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- December 5, 1968
- Age
- 19
- Province
- Hua Nghia
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Non-hostile
- Category
- Accident
- Circumstance
- Vehicle Crash (MC)
Context · from the records
What was happening
22 names on the Wall carry the date December 5, 1968; he was the only one lost in Hua Nghia Province that day. In December 1968, 855 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The 25th Infantry Division, his unit in the record, lost 106 of its members that month.
Also on Panel 37W, Line 48
- GUENTER ROBERT THONUESSergeant · December 5, 1968
- DONALD DENNIS WEYKERSpecialist Four · December 5, 1968
- GARY RICHARD BERGPrivate First Class · December 6, 1968
- JOE PAUL KLIPFELPrivate First Class · December 6, 1968
Same unit, same day
- HARRY JAMES HARRISPrivate · Panel 37W, Line 46
- DAVID LEE ROBISONSergeant · Panel 37W, Line 47
From Jackson
- JOHNNY CRAWFORD SANDERSMaster Sergeant · December 25, 1963
- BYRON HUGH CROTWELLStaff Sergeant · January 13, 1966
- ANDREW L HENRYPrivate First Class · January 14, 1966
- JAMES ALBERT WOODCorporal · March 25, 1966
- JOHN DANIEL ROECKLPrivate First Class · August 2, 1966
- RICHARD A WALTMANPrivate First Class · August 15, 1966
- WILLIAM DEWITT PERKINS JRChief Warrant Officer 2 · August 27, 1966
- JAMES PETER NARD IIILance Corporal · September 18, 1966
- DONAIL MARTINPetty Officer Third Class · November 28, 1966
- TOMMIE LEE MOONEYPrivate First Class · December 11, 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.