The Wall › Panel 37E › California › Richard Conaway Obrien
RICHARD CONAWAY OBRIEN
Specialist Four · U.S. Army
February 10, 1943 – February 6, 1968
Service recordRichard Conaway Obrien, of Santa Barbara, California, served as a Specialist Four in the U.S. Army. He died on February 6, 1968, in South Vietnam, at age 24. His name is inscribed on Panel 37E, Line 65 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 37E · Line 65
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)
- 4 INF DIV
- Born
- February 10, 1943
- Home of record
- Santa Barbara, California (Santa Barbara County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- February 6, 1968
- Age
- 24
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Killed in Action
- Circumstance
- Small Arms Fire
Context · from the records
What was happening
147 names on the Wall carry the date February 6, 1968. In February 1968, 2,260 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The 4th Infantry Division, his unit in the record, lost 140 of its members that month.
He died in South Vietnam while the Tet Offensive was under way. Beginning on the night of 30–31 January 1968, Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces attacked more than 100 cities and towns across South Vietnam, including the U.S. Embassy in Saigon. February 1968 was the deadliest month of the war for Americans.
Also on Panel 37E, Line 65
- ROY TULANE OKEEFESergeant · February 6, 1968
- LOUIS JAMES ORISONStaff Sergeant · February 6, 1968
- PAUL RICHARD PADUCHOWSKICorporal · February 6, 1968
- JIMMIE CHARLES PALMOPrivate First Class · February 6, 1968
Same unit, same day
- MELVIN JOHN BYERSPrivate First Class · Panel 37E, Line 49
- ALBERT RANDOLPH FOGG IIISpecialist Four · Panel 37E, Line 55
- PETER RAYMOND HANSEN JRSpecialist Four · Panel 37E, Line 57
- ALLEN HIDEO HARANOPrivate First Class · Panel 37E, Line 57
- DUANE EDWARD LITZINGERStaff Sergeant · Panel 37E, Line 60
- MICHAEL MULLERVYPrivate First Class · Panel 37E, Line 63
- DENNIS DEAN NEHRINGPrivate First Class · Panel 37E, Line 64
- AURELIO R RAMON JRSergeant · Panel 37E, Line 67
- TERRENCE EDWARD STAUDOHARSergeant · Panel 37E, Line 70
- JOSE ANTONIO TRAVIESOPrivate First Class · Panel 37E, Line 72
- JAMES LEROY WISE JRSpecialist Four · Panel 37E, Line 74
- RAYFIELD WILLIAMSPrivate First Class · Panel 37E, Line 75
From Santa Barbara
- WILLIAM EDWARD CORDEROMajor · June 22, 1965
- DENNIS PHILIP COOKLieutenant · April 6, 1966
- MICHAEL NOBLE CORYELLWarrant Officer 1 · October 30, 1966
- TERRY WAYNE SHALHOOBLance Corporal · December 23, 1966
- BRUCE EDWARD HOLDERMANHospitalman · December 28, 1966
- DONALD CARYL GRANEYMajor · February 24, 1967
- MICHAEL CHARLES DOMINGUEZPrivate First Class · March 16, 1967
- STEPHEN BROWNING NEALPrivate First Class · March 17, 1967
- JERRY HAROLD GEORGESCorporal · March 23, 1967
- JOHN CAREY JRCorporal · July 28, 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.