The Wall › Panel 45E › Colorado › Thomas David Barber
THOMAS DAVID BARBER
Airman · U.S. Navy
March 5, 1948 – March 17, 1968
Service recordThomas David Barber, of Aurora, Colorado, served as an Airman in the U.S. Navy. He died on March 17, 1968, in North Vietnam, at age 20. His name is inscribed on Panel 45E, Line 7 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 45E · Line 7
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
- Aviation Machinist's Mate (AD)
- Unit (as recorded)
- VS 23 USS YORKTOWN CVS 10
- Born
- March 5, 1948
- Home of record
- Aurora, Colorado (Adams County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- March 17, 1968
- Age
- 20
- Country
- North Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Killed in Action
- Circumstance
- Unknown
- Remains
- Not recovered as of the 2008 DoD record
Context · from the records
What was happening
48 names on the Wall carry the date March 17, 1968. In March 1968, 1,767 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The unit recorded as “VS 23 USS YORKTOWN CVS 10”, 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
On the Wall
Also on Panel 45E, Line 7
- TERRY ZIMMERMANSergeant · March 16, 1968
- DENNIS JAMES ZWIRCHITZPrivate First Class · March 16, 1968
- EDGAR DEWAYNE BELLPrivate First Class · March 17, 1968
- LAWRENCE ALPHONSE GRENHAMSergeant · March 17, 1968
Same unit, same day
- LEE DAVID BENSONLieutenant (junior grade) · Panel 45E, Line 10
- DONALD RICHARD HUBBSCommander · Panel 45E, Line 12
- RANDALL JOHN NIGHTINGALEPetty Officer Second Class · Panel 45E, Line 14
From Aurora
- JAMES DANIEL HAKES JRLance Corporal · May 15, 1966
- MICHAEL L OTTOPrivate First Class · May 29, 1967
- MICHAEL FRANKLIN MATTHEWSLance Corporal · October 18, 1967
- JAMES RICHARD LEMONPrivate First Class · November 25, 1967
- BRUCE WAYNE TABORPrivate First Class · May 5, 1968
- KENNETH DEAN RYNNINGSergeant · May 14, 1968
- RICHARD LE ROY MARTINPrivate First Class · October 6, 1968
- JACKIE VERNON HENSLEYStaff Sergeant · January 26, 1969
- CLYDE SEILERMajor · March 27, 1969
- JOSEPH MICHAEL CORNELISONSpecialist Four · April 26, 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.