The Wall › Panel 4E › Pennsylvania › Richard Smith
RICHARD SMITH
Corporal · U.S. Marine Corps
June 18, 1945 – August 24, 1965
Service recordRichard Smith, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, served as a Corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps. He died on August 24, 1965, in South Vietnam, at age 20. His name is inscribed on Panel 4E, Line 132 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 4E · Line 132
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. Marine Corps
- Rank
- Corporal (CPL)
- Service
- Regular
- Occupation
- Freight Operations Clerk (3111)
- Born
- June 18, 1945
- Home of record
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- August 24, 1965
- Age
- 20
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Non-hostile
- Category
- Accident
- Circumstance
- Aircraft Crash — Passenger (MC)
- Incident
- Airplane Crash Hong Kong To Danang Vs
Context · from the records
What was happening
61 names on the Wall carry the date August 24, 1965. In August 1965, 179 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
He died in South Vietnam while Operation Starlite was under way. Operation Starlite (18–24 August 1965), on the Van Tuong peninsula south of Chu Lai, was the first regimental-size U.S. ground battle of the war. Marines attacked the 1st Viet Cong Regiment by helicopter, amphibious landing and on foot. The record gives the date and branch of service but not the exact place.
Also on Panel 4E, Line 132
- JESSE THOMAS BAILEY JRSergeant · February 2, 1966
- CRAIG SLADE BLACKNERCaptain · February 2, 1966
- JOHN IRWIN CAMERONAirman First Class · February 2, 1966
- JOHN ROBERT DUSBABEKPrivate First Class · February 2, 1966
- SIDNEY JOHN ELYEASpecialist Four · February 2, 1966
From Philadelphia
- MEIR ENGELLieutenant Colonel · December 16, 1964
- MATTHEW N HARRIS JRMaster Sergeant · May 28, 1965
- ALLEN CONRAD HERTZFirst Lieutenant · June 6, 1965
- MILO BENETT STIBBINSSpecialist Five · June 11, 1965
- JOSEPH PATRICK GRUGANCorporal · June 26, 1965
- ROWLAND JOSEPH ADAMOLICorporal · August 18, 1965
- FRANK AMOS HENISSPrivate First Class · September 7, 1965
- EARL CHARLES WILLOUGHBYChief Master Sergeant · September 7, 1965
- WILLIAM A MITCHELL IIPetty Officer Third Class · September 12, 1965
- WILLIAM GREGORY MAURONEPrivate First Class · September 30, 1965
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.