The Wall › Panel 5W › Minnesota › Russel Courtney Nelson
RUSSEL COURTNEY NELSON
Corporal · U.S. Army
March 1, 1950 – January 7, 1971
Service recordRussel Courtney Nelson, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, served as a Corporal in the U.S. Army. He died on January 7, 1971, in Binh Dinh Province, South Vietnam, at age 20. His name is inscribed on Panel 5W, Line 31 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 5W · Line 31
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
- Corporal (CPL)
- Service
- Regular
- Occupation
- Infantryman (11B)
- Unit (as recorded)
- 173 AIRBORNE BDE
- Born
- March 1, 1950
- Home of record
- Minneapolis, Minnesota (Hennepin County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- January 7, 1971
- Age
- 20
- Province
- Binh Dinh
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Killed in Action
- Circumstance
- Small Arms Fire
Context · from the records
What was happening
14 names on the Wall carry the date January 7, 1971; six of them were lost in Bình Định Province. In January 1971, 259 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The 173rd Airborne Brigade, his unit in the record, lost 17 of its members that month.
Read the history
On the Wall
Also on Panel 5W, Line 31
- GERALD WILLIAM HILLSpecialist Four · January 7, 1971
- ROBERT BRUCE MICHALKSpecialist Four · January 7, 1971
- ROBERT LEE PAYNTERPetty Officer Second Class · January 7, 1971
- CHARLES MITCHELL PRICEStaff Sergeant · January 7, 1971
Same unit, same day
- STEPHEN ELDON BOOTSStaff Sergeant · Panel 5W, Line 30
- RICK SAMUEL BROWNSergeant · Panel 5W, Line 30
- GERALD WILLIAM HILLSpecialist Four · Panel 5W, Line 31
- RICHARD EUGENE TABORSpecialist Four · Panel 5W, Line 32
From Minneapolis
- WILLIAM EDWARD SWANSONLieutenant · April 11, 1965
- MICHAEL JOHN ULICSNIPetty Officer First Class · September 8, 1964
- DENNIS LEROY PIERSONPrivate First Class · June 26, 1965
- DON GLENN KNOWLTONWarrant Officer 1 · October 20, 1965
- ROGER MICHAEL MANNIESergeant · October 28, 1965
- TRENT RICHARD POWERSCaptain · October 31, 1965
- DAVID LEONARD UGLANDSecond Lieutenant · November 8, 1965
- WILLIAM MARTIN SAVORENLance Corporal · November 25, 1965
- LAWRENCE FREDRICK RAMAKERSpecialist Four · December 10, 1965
- THOMAS NEWTON SLOANTechnical Sergeant · December 17, 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.