The Wall › Panel 14W › California › Richard Alan Thomas
RICHARD ALAN THOMAS
Sergeant · U.S. Army
November 23, 1947 – January 9, 1970
Service recordRichard Alan Thomas, of Fresno, California, served as a Sergeant in the U.S. Army. He died on January 9, 1970, in Cambodia, at age 22. His name is inscribed on Panel 14W, Line 21 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 14W · Line 21
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
- Occupation
- Infantryman (11B)
- Unit (as recorded)
- SPECIAL FORCES
- Born
- November 23, 1947
- Home of record
- Fresno, California (Fresno County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- January 9, 1970
- Age
- 22
- Country
- Cambodia
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Killed in Action
- Circumstance
- Small Arms Fire
Context · from the records
What was happening
30 names on the Wall carry the date January 9, 1970. In January 1970, 529 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
Special Forces, his unit in the record, lost 7 of its members that month.
The record places this loss in Cambodia, outside South Vietnam.
Read the history
On the Wall
Also on Panel 14W, Line 21
- WALTER J GARSTKIEWICZ JRSergeant · January 9, 1970
- JOHN W SPARKSPrivate First Class · January 9, 1970
- MANUEL ANTONIO D TAVARESPrivate First Class · January 9, 1970
- MARK DEE VINCENTCorporal · January 9, 1970
Same unit, same day
- LARRY PAUL BARTLETTSergeant First Class · Panel 14W, Line 16
From Fresno
- FRANK DUVALL WILLIAMSSpecialist Five · December 11, 1964
- HENRY THOMAS LUNAPrivate First Class · November 17, 1965
- CARL MICHAEL HUMESpecialist Four · November 17, 1965
- DANNY JAY MCGRIFFPrivate First Class · February 28, 1966
- MICHAEL B MAULDINPrivate First Class · May 17, 1966
- DONALD THEODORE ERICKSONStaff Sergeant · August 2, 1966
- JOE MAGDALENO BALLIN JRLance Corporal · September 16, 1966
- MANUEL AVILA JRPetty Officer Third Class · November 12, 1966
- VICENTE ZUNIGASpecialist Four · December 21, 1966
- MICHAEL R BROWNPrivate First Class · December 29, 1966
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.