The Wall › Panel 15E › Minnesota › Ronald Lee Zempel
RONALD LEE ZEMPEL
Airman · U.S. Navy
December 17, 1944 – February 27, 1967
Service recordRonald Lee Zempel, of Grand Rapids, Minnesota, served as an Airman in the U.S. Navy. He died on February 27, 1967, in North Vietnam, at age 22. His name is inscribed on Panel 15E, Line 111 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 15E · Line 111
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
- Airman (AN)
- Service
- Regular
- Occupation
- Aircrew Survival Equipmentman (PR)
- Unit (as recorded)
- HC 1 USS BON HOMME RICHARD CVA 31
- Born
- December 17, 1944
- Home of record
- Grand Rapids, Minnesota (Itasca County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- February 27, 1967
- Age
- 22
- Country
- North Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Non-hostile
- Category
- Accident
- Circumstance
- Helicopter Crash — crew
- Remains
- Not recovered as of the 2008 DoD record
Context · from the records
What was happening
46 names on the Wall carry the date February 27, 1967. In February 1967, 767 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The unit recorded as “HC 1 USS BON HOMME RICHARD CVA 31”, his unit in the record, lost 4 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.
His remains had not been recovered when the 2008 record was compiled. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency continues to search for Americans still missing from the war; families can find case information through dpaa.mil.
Read the history
Also on Panel 15E, Line 111
- CLARENCE VARNADOStaff Sergeant · February 27, 1967
- TRAVIS GARY WALDENSergeant · February 27, 1967
- BRIAN CHARLES WEHNERSpecialist Four · February 27, 1967
- NEIL STEPHEN WILLIAMSSpecialist Four · February 27, 1967
Same unit, same day
- LITCHFIELD PATTERSON HUIELieutenant · Panel 15E, Line 106
- EDWARD NORMAN LETCHWORTHLieutenant (junior grade) · Panel 15E, Line 106
- BERNARD JACOB SAUSE JRAirman · Panel 15E, Line 108
From Grand Rapids
- RONALD MONTE FRASERSergeant · September 14, 1968
- ROBERT LEROY ANDERSLieutenant · February 2, 1969
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.