The Wall › Panel 24E › Mississippi › Richard Terry Smith
RICHARD TERRY SMITH
Seaman · U.S. Navy
January 2, 1947 – July 29, 1967
Service recordRichard Terry Smith, of Gulfport, Mississippi, served as a Seaman in the U.S. Navy. He died on July 29, 1967, in North Vietnam, at age 20. His name is inscribed on Panel 24E, Line 43 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 24E · Line 43
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. Navy
- Rank
- Seaman (SN)
- Service
- Reserve / National Guard
- Occupation
- Seaman (SN)
- Unit (as recorded)
- USNAVFORV
- Born
- January 2, 1947
- Home of record
- Gulfport, Mississippi (Harrison County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- July 29, 1967
- Age
- 20
- Country
- North Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Non-hostile
- Category
- Accident
- Circumstance
- Ship/Submarine Accident At Sea (MC)
Context · from the records
What was happening
184 names on the Wall carry the date July 29, 1967. In July 1967, 1,057 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The unit recorded as “USNAVFORV”, his unit in the record, lost 14 of its members that month.
He died in North Vietnam while Operation Rolling Thunder was under way. Operation Rolling Thunder (March 1965–November 1968) was the sustained U.S. bombing campaign against North Vietnam, flown by Air Force fighter-bombers from Thailand and Navy aircraft from carriers in the Gulf of Tonkin against some of the densest air defenses in the world.
Also on Panel 24E, Line 43
- WILLIAM JOHN SHIELDSPetty Officer Third Class · July 29, 1967
- RICHARD MARTIN SIETZPetty Officer Third Class · July 29, 1967
- DAVID WAYNE SMITHAirman · July 29, 1967
- JOHN FRANCIS SNOWPetty Officer Second Class · July 29, 1967
Same unit, same day
- MARVIN JARRELL ADKINSPetty Officer Second Class · Panel 24E, Line 13
- DENNIS MICHAEL BARTONLieutenant · Panel 24E, Line 14
- RICHARD DEAN CLENDENENAirman · Panel 24E, Line 17
- WILLIAM DANIEL COLLINSSeaman · Panel 24E, Line 18
- ROBERT BRYAN COTTENAirman · Panel 24E, Line 18
- LAWRENCE JOSEPH GILBERTAirman · Panel 24E, Line 25
- WILLIAM THOMAS GILROYPetty Officer Third Class · Panel 24E, Line 25
- LARRY EDWARD GRACEPetty Officer Third Class · Panel 24E, Line 25
- RICHARD LEE OWENSChief Petty Officer · Panel 24E, Line 38
- WILLIAM FRANK THOMPSONPetty Officer First Class · Panel 24E, Line 47
- KERRY DEAN WISDOMAirman · Panel 24E, Line 49
From Gulfport
- HOWARD RUDOLPH CODYCaptain · November 24, 1963
- MELVIN TYRONE HUNTERSpecialist Four · January 22, 1967
- CLARENCE EARL DRAKESCorporal · September 4, 1967
- SAMUEL M DAVISSpecialist Four · October 11, 1967
- ROBERT JAMES EDWARDSLance Corporal · October 15, 1967
- WILLIAM GILBERT WILKINSONChief Warrant Officer 4 · December 16, 1967
- JOE LOUIS JOHNSONPlatoon Sergeant · December 29, 1967
- TAYLOR W FOREMAN JRStaff Sergeant · February 16, 1968
- TERRY NEIL THOMPSONFireman · April 29, 1969
- LEO CARL CASEY JRSpecialist Four · January 8, 1970
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.