The Wall › Panel 44W › Wisconsin › Kurt Francis Ponath
KURT FRANCIS PONATH
Private First Class · U.S. Army
April 26, 1948 – September 12, 1968
Service recordKurt Francis Ponath, of Cudahy, Wisconsin, served as a Private First Class in the U.S. Army. He died on September 12, 1968, in Binh Long Province, South Vietnam, at age 20. His name is inscribed on Panel 44W, Line 41 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 44W · Line 41
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 First Class (PFC)
- Service
- Regular
- Occupation
- Infantryman (11B)
- Unit (as recorded)
- 1 INF DIV
- Born
- April 26, 1948
- Home of record
- Cudahy, Wisconsin (Milwaukee County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- September 12, 1968
- Age
- 20
- Province
- Binh Long
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Killed in Action
- Circumstance
- Small Arms Fire
Context · from the records
What was happening
50 names on the Wall carry the date September 12, 1968; 19 of them were lost in Binh Long Province. In September 1968, 1,184 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The 1st Infantry Division, his unit in the record, lost 69 of its members that month.
Also on Panel 44W, Line 41
- WILLIAM HARLEY PRATHERSergeant · September 12, 1968
- CLIFFORD LEO SCHOLLLance Corporal · September 12, 1968
- EARL ERIC SHARKSergeant First Class · September 12, 1968
- LARRY ROY SIMSStaff Sergeant · September 12, 1968
Same unit, same day
- DONALD PAUL ABBIEPrivate First Class · Panel 44W, Line 34
- PHILIP KENNETH BAKERStaff Sergeant · Panel 44W, Line 34
- MICHAEL RICHARD BALDWINSergeant · Panel 44W, Line 35
- EUGENE RUSSELL BOYCEPrivate First Class · Panel 44W, Line 35
- WILLIAM HENRY HANSONFirst Lieutenant · Panel 44W, Line 37
- WAYNE DANIEL JENKINSSpecialist Four · Panel 44W, Line 38
- RICHARD DRIGGS LEMAY JRMajor · Panel 44W, Line 38
- KENNETH LEROY MARTINPrivate First Class · Panel 44W, Line 39
- RONALD STEVEN MARTINPrivate First Class · Panel 44W, Line 39
- MARION LUTHER OXNERPrivate First Class · Panel 44W, Line 40
- DALE ARDEN PALMPrivate First Class · Panel 44W, Line 40
- JOHN EVERETTE PERRYPrivate First Class · Panel 44W, Line 40
- EARL ERIC SHARKSergeant First Class · Panel 44W, Line 41
- LARRY ROY SIMSStaff Sergeant · Panel 44W, Line 41
- PHILIP LEONARD TANKPrivate First Class · Panel 44W, Line 42
- SAMUEL GILMORE UMSTOT JRCaptain · Panel 44W, Line 42
- WILLIAM WITTMANPrivate First Class · Panel 44W, Line 42
- JAMES ANDERSEN SMITHFirst Lieutenant · Panel 44W, Line 43
- J C WILLIAMS JRSpecialist Four · Panel 44W, Line 43
- LESTER LEE WOODFirst Lieutenant · Panel 44W, Line 44
From Cudahy
- RICHARD ELMER JAECKFirst Lieutenant · March 14, 1964
- LYNN HUDSON SMITHFirst Lieutenant · February 1, 1968
- JAMES ROY RICEPrivate First Class · August 12, 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.