The Wall › Panel 9W › Louisiana › Ralph Joseph Buford
RALPH JOSEPH BUFORD
Specialist Four · U.S. Army
September 24, 1948 – June 6, 1970
Service recordRalph Joseph Buford, of St Martin, Louisiana, served as a Specialist Four in the U.S. Army. He died on June 6, 1970, in Tay Ninh Province, South Vietnam, at age 21. His name is inscribed on Panel 9W, Line 18 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 9W · Line 18
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
- Infantryman (11B)
- Unit (as recorded)
- 25 INF DIV
- Born
- September 24, 1948
- Home of record
- St Martin, Louisiana
Casualty
- Date of death
- June 6, 1970
- Age
- 21
- Province
- Tay Ninh
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Died of Wounds
- Circumstance
- Small Arms Fire
Context · from the records
What was happening
24 names on the Wall carry the date June 6, 1970; two of them were lost in Tây Ninh Province. In June 1970, 560 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The 25th Infantry Division, his unit in the record, lost 62 of its members that month.
Also on Panel 9W, Line 18
- MICHAEL JOHN BLANSCETCaptain · June 6, 1970
- ROBERT RAY BOESKOOLCorporal · June 6, 1970
- WILLIAM ANDERSON BRANCHCaptain · June 6, 1970
- LAWRENCE DEAN BURGESSSergeant · June 6, 1970
Same unit, same day
- GEORGE EDWARD BECKLEYSpecialist Four · Panel 9W, Line 17
- ROBERT RAY BOESKOOLCorporal · Panel 9W, Line 18
- WILLIAM ANDERSON BRANCHCaptain · Panel 9W, Line 18
- WILLIAM LARRY BYRDCaptain · Panel 9W, Line 19
From St Martin
- JOSEPH RONALD LANDRYPrivate First Class · February 3, 1966
- GERALD PAUL GAUTHIERLance Corporal · January 2, 1968
- LARRY FRANK KUJAWASpecialist Four · January 11, 1968
- WILLIE JAMES DELACROIXSergeant · December 30, 1969
- CURTIS JOSEPH PERRODINPrivate First Class · September 9, 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.