The Wall › Panel 17E › Pennsylvania › Ralph Michael Wentzel
RALPH MICHAEL WENTZEL
Private First Class · U.S. Army
July 19, 1947 – March 22, 1967
Service recordRalph Michael Wentzel, of Reading, Pennsylvania, served as a Private First Class in the U.S. Army. He died on March 22, 1967, in Pleiku Province, South Vietnam, at age 19. His name is inscribed on Panel 17E, Line 25 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 17E · Line 25
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
- Drafted (Selective Service)
- Occupation
- Infantryman (11B)
- Unit (as recorded)
- 4 INF DIV
- Born
- July 19, 1947
- Home of record
- Reading, Pennsylvania (Berks County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- March 22, 1967
- Age
- 19
- Province
- Pleiku
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Killed in Action
- Circumstance
- Grenade
Context · from the records
What was happening
53 names on the Wall carry the date March 22, 1967; 27 of them were lost in Pleiku Province. In March 1967, 1,091 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The 4th Infantry Division, his unit in the record, lost 145 of its members that month.
Also on Panel 17E, Line 25
- DANIEL MORRIS TAYLORPrivate First Class · March 22, 1967
- JOSE BENIGNO TIJERINAPrivate First Class · March 22, 1967
- THOMAS NORMAN TOLESONCorporal · March 22, 1967
- DAVID VASQUEZSpecialist Four · March 22, 1967
Same unit, same day
- ALAN WAYNE ANDREWSSpecialist Four · Panel 17E, Line 16
- FLOYD BARKER JRPrivate First Class · Panel 17E, Line 16
- JAMES ANDREW CUNNINGHAMPrivate First Class · Panel 17E, Line 17
- BLAIR EDWARD DENNISPrivate First Class · Panel 17E, Line 17
- CHARLES EUGENE FLETCHERSpecialist Four · Panel 17E, Line 18
- RALPH GRAYPrivate First Class · Panel 17E, Line 18
- CHARLES HARRY HABER JRSpecialist Four · Panel 17E, Line 19
- CHARLES FRANCIS HARRISONPrivate First Class · Panel 17E, Line 19
- JACOB ANDREW HORNPrivate First Class · Panel 17E, Line 19
- ROBERT DONALD JENKINSPrivate First Class · Panel 17E, Line 20
- RICHARD DENNIS KAMINSKIPrivate First Class · Panel 17E, Line 20
- WILLIAM THOMAS KAUFFERSpecialist Four · Panel 17E, Line 20
- GARY MELVIN LADDPrivate First Class · Panel 17E, Line 21
- RAUL MONTESSpecialist Four · Panel 17E, Line 21
- JOHN ARTHUR MOTTSpecialist Four · Panel 17E, Line 22
- TIMOTHY XAVIER MURPHYSergeant · Panel 17E, Line 22
- WILLIAM JOSEPH OBRIENPrivate First Class · Panel 17E, Line 22
- JOSEPH ROBERT PIAMBINOPrivate First Class · Panel 17E, Line 23
- JERRY LEE PICKWORTHPrivate First Class · Panel 17E, Line 23
- DENNIS ALBERT PRENTICESpecialist Four · Panel 17E, Line 23
- WILLIAM D SANDS IIICaptain · Panel 17E, Line 24
- CALVIN ELLIOT SCHWARTZSpecialist Four · Panel 17E, Line 24
- RICHARD SAMUEL SEDIESSpecialist Four · Panel 17E, Line 24
- THOMAS ERIC SHANNONSecond Lieutenant · Panel 17E, Line 24
From Reading
- CHARLES ELLSWORTH DOERRMANTechnical Sergeant · May 28, 1963
- LEON CHARLES STEINPetty Officer First Class · July 9, 1965
- MICHAEL GERARD HOYERPrivate First Class · September 1, 1965
- LAWRENCE JAMES DEISHERPrivate First Class · June 9, 1966
- GERALD LEROY BERGPrivate First Class · July 2, 1966
- RICHARD BROWN HEYDTMajor · March 11, 1967
- BARRY L ADAMPrivate First Class · June 15, 1967
- GLENN CHARLES BAERPrivate · August 15, 1967
- JOEL EDWARD FALLERSpecialist Four · August 22, 1967
- TOM JAY BAGENSTOSEPrivate First Class · August 30, 1967
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.