The Wall › Panel 1W › Illinois › Richard Ridgeway
RICHARD RIDGEWAY
Specialist Four · U.S. Army
August 13, 1951 – May 10, 1972
Service recordRichard Ridgeway, of Bloomington, Illinois, served as a Specialist Four in the U.S. Army. He died on May 10, 1972, in Bien Hoa Province, South Vietnam, at age 20. His name is inscribed on Panel 1W, Line 21 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 1W · 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
- Specialist Four (SP4)
- Service
- Regular
- Occupation
- Infantryman (11B)
- Unit (as recorded)
- 1 CAV DIV AIRMOBILE
- Born
- August 13, 1951
- Home of record
- Bloomington, Illinois (Mclean County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- May 10, 1972
- Age
- 20
- Province
- Bien Hoa
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Non-hostile
- Category
- Accident
- Circumstance
- Helicopter Crash — Passenger (MC)
Context · from the records
What was happening
38 names on the Wall carry the date May 10, 1972; 34 of them were lost in Bien Hoa Province. In May 1972, 113 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), his unit in the record, lost 41 of its members that month.
He died in Bien Hoa Province while the Easter Offensive was under way. On 30 March 1972, North Vietnam launched its largest offensive since 1968, attacking across the DMZ, toward An Lộc and into the Central Highlands. By then few U.S. ground troops remained; American advisers and air power fought alongside the South Vietnamese.
Also on Panel 1W, Line 21
- JAMES CHRISTIAN JENSENSergeant · May 10, 1972
- JACKIE RAYPrivate · May 10, 1972
- EFRAIN RIVERA-AGOSTOPrivate · May 10, 1972
- JOHN TENERIO SABLANPrivate First Class · May 10, 1972
Same unit, same day
- MIKE JOHN AGUILARSergeant · Panel 1W, Line 15
- OSCAR AGUILARSpecialist Four · Panel 1W, Line 15
- WILLIAM ARVEL BOATRIGHTSergeant · Panel 1W, Line 16
- STEVEN EDWARD BOWERSOCKPrivate First Class · Panel 1W, Line 16
- EDWARD DENZEL BURNETTSergeant · Panel 1W, Line 16
- CLINT EDWIN CARRPrivate First Class · Panel 1W, Line 16
- DENNIS GYMAN DUNNINGSpecialist Four · Panel 1W, Line 17
- ALVIN ROBERT ELENBURGSpecialist Four · Panel 1W, Line 17
- DAVID CRUZ FLORESSpecialist Four · Panel 1W, Line 17
- DIETER KUNO FREITAGSergeant · Panel 1W, Line 17
- JAMES DOUGLAS GROVESPrivate · Panel 1W, Line 17
- SAMUEL HARRELLFirst Lieutenant · Panel 1W, Line 18
- DALE LAMONT HAYESPrivate First Class · Panel 1W, Line 18
- WILLIAM FREDERICK HENAGHANSpecialist Four · Panel 1W, Line 18
- FRANK THEODORE HENSONSpecialist Four · Panel 1W, Line 18
- DONALD EDWARD HOWELLSpecialist Four · Panel 1W, Line 19
- FREDDIE JACKSONSpecialist Four · Panel 1W, Line 19
- THOMAS ALLAN LAHNERSpecialist Four · Panel 1W, Line 19
- KENNETH ROSENBERGCaptain · Panel 1W, Line 19
- DAVID ALLEN LYDICPrivate First Class · Panel 1W, Line 20
- GARY ROBERT MONTELEONESpecialist Four · Panel 1W, Line 20
- LARRY STEVEN MUSTINSpecialist Five · Panel 1W, Line 20
- TERRY DUANE NEISSSpecialist Four · Panel 1W, Line 20
- DEAN ANTHONY PHILLIPSPrivate First Class · Panel 1W, Line 20
From Bloomington
- GEORGE ELMER BURCHETTStaff Sergeant · September 18, 1965
- WILLIAM REINHART BUFFCorporal · August 30, 1966
- THOMAS LEO HOENIGESSergeant · June 8, 1967
- WILLIAM WALTER LITTLE IIICorporal · November 7, 1967
- DONALD EUGENE MONKMANPrivate First Class · January 7, 1968
- TIMOTHY LEE WHITESpecialist Four · February 2, 1968
- ROBERT GENE PINKSTONStaff Sergeant · March 14, 1968
- OMAR DAVID JONESFirst Lieutenant · May 12, 1968
- GARY CECIL BAIZEPrivate First Class · August 19, 1968
- THOMAS CARLYLE JACOBSWarrant Officer 1 · September 13, 1968
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.