The Wall › Panel 4W › Michigan › Ronald Ray Blacksmith
RONALD RAY BLACKSMITH
Specialist Four · U.S. Army
October 1, 1951 – April 3, 1971
Service recordRonald Ray Blacksmith, of Detroit, Michigan, served as a Specialist Four in the U.S. Army. He died on April 3, 1971, in Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam, at age 19. His name is inscribed on Panel 4W, Line 102 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 4W · Line 102
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
- Specialist Four (SP4)
- Service
- Regular
- Occupation
- Infantryman (11B)
- Unit (as recorded)
- US ARMY REP OF VIETNAM
- Born
- October 1, 1951
- Home of record
- Detroit, Michigan (Wayne County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- April 3, 1971
- Age
- 19
- Province
- Quang Tri
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Non-hostile
- Category
- Accident
- Circumstance
- Vehicle Crash (MC)
Context · from the records
What was happening
14 names on the Wall carry the date April 3, 1971; two of them were lost in Quảng Trị Province. In April 1971, 292 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The unit recorded as “US ARMY REP OF VIETNAM”, his unit in the record, lost 60 of its members that month.
Also on Panel 4W, Line 102
- GARY GENE ZELLERCorporal · April 2, 1971
- ARTHUR BESTStaff Sergeant · April 3, 1971
- WAYNE ROY BOROWSKICorporal · April 3, 1971
- HOWARD JAMES BOWER JRPrivate First Class · April 3, 1971
Same unit, same day
- RAYFORD HENRY KINGSergeant First Class · Panel 4W, Line 103
- FRED BRYAN ROSENBERRYSergeant · Panel 4W, Line 104
From Detroit
- SAMUEL EUGENE HURDAirman Third Class · January 3, 1964
- LEO BERT ABRAMOSKICaptain · July 28, 1964
- GEORGE PAUL ZUPANCICCorporal · June 26, 1965
- MARSHALL DANIEL HOLMANPrivate First Class · July 9, 1965
- ELIAS BELL JRCorporal · July 13, 1965
- ARTHUR F HAMMARSTROM JRLieutenant Colonel · July 24, 1965
- JAMES THOMAS CLARKPrivate · August 17, 1965
- BRUCE JAMES HENRICHPrivate First Class · August 18, 1965
- ROBERT TAGLIONESergeant · August 18, 1965
- MERRILL LAGENE LANTRYCorporal · September 2, 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.