The Wall › Panel 18W › Michigan › Ronald Craig Vliek
RONALD CRAIG VLIEK
Sergeant · U.S. Army
July 5, 1948 – September 5, 1969
Service recordRonald Craig Vliek, of Decatur, Michigan, served as a Sergeant in the U.S. Army. He died on September 5, 1969, in Tay Ninh Province, South Vietnam, at age 21. His name is inscribed on Panel 18W, Line 44 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 18W · Line 44
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
- Sergeant (SGT)
- Service
- Drafted (Selective Service)
- Occupation
- Field Artillery Basic (13A)
- Unit (as recorded)
- 1 CAV DIV AIRMOBILE
- Born
- July 5, 1948
- Home of record
- Decatur, Michigan (Van Buren County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- September 5, 1969
- Age
- 21
- Province
- Tay Ninh
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Died of Wounds
- Circumstance
- Unknown
Context · from the records
What was happening
50 names on the Wall carry the date September 5, 1969; 17 of them were lost in Tây Ninh Province. In September 1969, 664 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), his unit in the record, lost 71 of its members that month.
Also on Panel 18W, Line 44
- JOHN CHARLES STERLINGCorporal · September 5, 1969
- JOHNNY DELBERT SWANNSpecialist Four · September 5, 1969
- CHARLES FRANKLIN TAYLORPrivate First Class · September 5, 1969
- RAYMOND BRUCE THOMASCorporal · September 5, 1969
Same unit, same day
- CARL GARY BECKPrivate First Class · Panel 18W, Line 36
- JERRY BRYANTSergeant · Panel 18W, Line 37
- LOUIS SCOTT DIBARISpecialist Five · Panel 18W, Line 37
- JACKIE LEE GOODNIGHTSpecialist Four · Panel 18W, Line 38
- GARY CURTIS HARWELLCorporal · Panel 18W, Line 39
- RICHARD RAMSEL HUGHESSpecialist Four · Panel 18W, Line 39
- JOHN KUULEI KAUHAIHAOFirst Lieutenant · Panel 18W, Line 40
- LEE EDWARD MONTAGSpecialist Five · Panel 18W, Line 41
- RAY WARREN PURIFOYStaff Sergeant · Panel 18W, Line 42
- DELBERT RAY SMITHSergeant · Panel 18W, Line 43
- JOHNNY DELBERT SWANNSpecialist Four · Panel 18W, Line 44
- DENNIS RUSSELL WARTCHOWSergeant · Panel 18W, Line 45
From Decatur
- CLARENCE FREDDIE GIPSONSpecialist Four · April 3, 1967
- JAMES ANDREW SOWAPrivate First Class · October 12, 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.
