The Wall › Panel 8W › Colorado › Merlyn Lee Wentzel
MERLYN LEE WENTZEL
Warrant Officer 1 · U.S. Army
April 29, 1946 – August 17, 1970
Service recordMerlyn Lee Wentzel, of Franktown, Colorado, served as a Warrant Officer 1 in the U.S. Army. He died on August 17, 1970, in Binh Dinh Province, South Vietnam, at age 24. His name is inscribed on Panel 8W, Line 121 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 8W · Line 121
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
- Warrant Officer 1 (WO1)
- Service
- Reserve / National Guard
- Occupation
- Utility/Observation Helicopter Pilot (100B)
- Unit (as recorded)
- 1 AVN BDE
- Born
- April 29, 1946
- Home of record
- Franktown, Colorado (Douglas County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- August 17, 1970
- Age
- 24
- Province
- Binh Dinh
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Non-hostile
- Category
- Accident
- Circumstance
- Helicopter Crash — crew
Context · from the records
What was happening
18 names on the Wall carry the date August 17, 1970; six of them were lost in Bình Định Province. In August 1970, 452 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The 1st Aviation Brigade, his unit in the record, lost 26 of its members that month.
Also on Panel 8W, Line 121
- JAMES WATSON WOODCaptain · August 17, 1970
- ROBERT NORMAN BOLLMANCaptain · August 18, 1970
- RALPH NELSON DUEMLINGFirst Lieutenant · August 18, 1970
- THOMAS LAVON GUNDERSONSpecialist Four · August 18, 1970
Same unit, same day
- RICHARD KEITH JOHNSTONSpecialist Four · Panel 8W, Line 118
- PATRICK RORY OBRIENWarrant Officer 1 · Panel 8W, Line 119
- GUY WESLEY PATTONSergeant First Class · Panel 8W, Line 119
- RAYMOND L STANSBURY IISpecialist Four · Panel 8W, Line 120
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.