The Wall › Panel 47W › Michigan › Richard Orrin Soper
RICHARD ORRIN SOPER
Warrant Officer 1 · U.S. Army
October 14, 1948 – August 23, 1968
Service recordRichard Orrin Soper, of Flint, Michigan, served as a Warrant Officer 1 in the U.S. Army. He died on August 23, 1968, in Tay Ninh Province, South Vietnam, at age 19. His name is inscribed on Panel 47W, Line 55 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 47W · Line 55
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
- Helicopter Pilot, Utility And Light Cargo Single Rotor (062B)
- Unit (as recorded)
- 1 INF DIV
- Born
- October 14, 1948
- Home of record
- Flint, Michigan (Genesee County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- August 23, 1968
- Age
- 19
- Province
- Tay Ninh
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Killed in Action
- Circumstance
- Helicopter Crash — Passenger (MC)
Context · from the records
What was happening
111 names on the Wall carry the date August 23, 1968; seven of them were lost in Tây Ninh Province. In August 1968, 1,313 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The 1st Infantry Division, his unit in the record, lost 62 of its members that month.
Also on Panel 47W, Line 55
- LARRY MICHAEL SMITHPrivate First Class · August 23, 1968
- JOHN LESLIE STABLERPrivate First Class · August 23, 1968
- EDWARD SAMUEL STEWARTStaff Sergeant · August 23, 1968
- JOHN PAUL SUPERCZYNSKI JRCorporal · August 23, 1968
Same unit, same day
- BARRY J BECANNENWarrant Officer 1 · Panel 47W, Line 37
- THAL ANTHONY BROWNFirst Lieutenant · Panel 47W, Line 38
- JOSEPH ERNEST FALARDEAUSpecialist Four · Panel 47W, Line 41
- WALTER FERGUSON JRStaff Sergeant · Panel 47W, Line 41
- MICHAEL DAVID FIXPrivate First Class · Panel 47W, Line 41
- PATRICK SHAWN HEDERMANPrivate First Class · Panel 47W, Line 44
- GILBERTO MENDEZ MOLINAPrivate First Class · Panel 47W, Line 49
- GEORGE EDWARD PERDUEPrivate First Class · Panel 47W, Line 51
- WILLIAM OTTO SCHMALEMajor · Panel 47W, Line 53
- ROBERT STEPHEN UNDERWOODPrivate First Class · Panel 47W, Line 56
From Flint
- ROY E STOKESLance Corporal · June 4, 1965
- FRED TOINSSpecialist Four · October 12, 1965
- JAMES LEROY CRAGARStaff Sergeant · October 22, 1965
- DONALD CAMERON MCPHEEGunnery Sergeant · October 24, 1965
- WARDLOW WESLEY PARTEEPrivate First Class · November 12, 1965
- BILLIE NEAL PLUMPrivate First Class · February 26, 1966
- RAYMOND CARL ROBINSONSergeant · March 30, 1966
- DENNIS A DESCOPrivate First Class · April 11, 1966
- JULIAN B WILLOUGHBYStaff Sergeant · April 29, 1966
- JAMES EDWARD DOZIERLance Corporal · August 25, 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.