The Wall › Panel 5W › Hawaii › Joseph William Gaa JR
JOSEPH WILLIAM GAA JR
Sergeant · U.S. Army
May 2, 1950 – January 15, 1971
Service recordJoseph William Gaa JR, of Kealakekua, Hawaii, served as a Sergeant in the U.S. Army. He died on January 15, 1971, in Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam, at age 20. His name is inscribed on Panel 5W, Line 45 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 5W · Line 45
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
- Sergeant (SGT)
- Service
- Regular
- Unit (as recorded)
- 5 INF DIV MECH
- Born
- May 2, 1950
- Home of record
- Kealakekua, Hawaii (Hawaii County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- January 15, 1971
- Age
- 20
- Province
- Quang Tri
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Killed in Action
- Circumstance
- Explosive Device
Context · from the records
What was happening
14 names on the Wall carry the date January 15, 1971; five of them were lost in Quảng Trị Province. In January 1971, 259 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The unit recorded as “5 INF DIV MECH”, his unit in the record, lost 16 of its members that month.
Also on Panel 5W, Line 45
- DANIEL FRANKLIN COXSpecialist Five · January 15, 1971
- JAMES ARTHUR HARWOODSergeant First Class · January 15, 1971
- GERALD FRANCIS KINSMANFirst Lieutenant · January 15, 1971
- LARRY DALE LOVEAirman First Class · January 15, 1971
Same unit, same day
- CURTIS WAYNE MOORESpecialist Four · Panel 5W, Line 46
- WILLIAM NAKI IIISpecialist Four · Panel 5W, Line 46
- DELBERT RAY PORTERPrivate First Class · Panel 5W, Line 46
- BRIAN PATRICK RUSSELLSergeant · Panel 5W, Line 46
From Kealakekua
- RODNEY JAMES TAKASHI YANOSergeant First Class · January 1, 1969
- GLENN TEUGIO SHIBATACorporal · March 29, 1969
- WAYNE HOWARD HEDEMANNWarrant Officer 1 · May 13, 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.