The Wall › Panel 5E › Indiana › Ronald Lee Runkel
RONALD LEE RUNKEL
Lance Corporal · U.S. Marine Corps
June 3, 1944 – August 24, 1965
Service recordRonald Lee Runkel, of South Bend, Indiana, served as a Lance Corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps. He died on August 24, 1965, in South Vietnam, at age 21. His name is inscribed on Panel 5E, Line 82 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 5E · Line 82
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
- Lance Corporal (LCPL)
- Service
- Regular
- Occupation
- Aviation Radio Repairman (2851)
- Born
- June 3, 1944
- Home of record
- South Bend, Indiana (St Joseph County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- August 24, 1965
- Age
- 21
- 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 5E, Line 82
- BILLIE NEAL PLUMPrivate First Class · February 26, 1966
- WILLIAM M TARBELLPrivate · February 26, 1966
- ROBERT LOUIS TERRYSpecialist Five · February 26, 1966
- FRANCIS DESALES WILLSPrivate First Class · February 26, 1966
- WILLIAM FRANCIS AYRESSpecialist Four · February 27, 1966
From South Bend
- JOHN RUSSELL HILLSMajor · February 14, 1966
- ALLEN L HIGGINBOTHANSpecialist Four · April 2, 1966
- EVEANS JERRY STULTSSergeant · September 2, 1966
- KENNETH EUGENE KASAStaff Sergeant · April 19, 1967
- LARRY FLOYD JANKOWSKIPrivate · May 8, 1967
- RUSSELL PERRY MILLERPrivate First Class · May 10, 1967
- LONNIE MICHAEL HOLMESSergeant · June 15, 1967
- LEE CHARL HITCHCOCKCaptain · September 10, 1967
- MICHAEL JENNINGS HALLSecond Lieutenant · January 8, 1968
- PAUL MICHAEL ROBERTSPrivate · January 20, 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.