The Wall › Panel 5E › California › Thomas Jay Oglethorpe
THOMAS JAY OGLETHORPE
Private First Class · U.S. Army
March 5, 1947 – February 24, 1966
Service recordThomas Jay Oglethorpe, of Petaluma, California, served as a Private First Class in the U.S. Army. He died on February 24, 1966, in South Vietnam, at age 18. His name is inscribed on Panel 5E, Line 74 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 5E · Line 74
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
- Private First Class (PFC)
- Service
- Regular
- Occupation
- Infantryman (11B)
- Unit (as recorded)
- 1 CAV DIV AIRMOBILE
- Born
- March 5, 1947
- Home of record
- Petaluma, California (Sonoma County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- February 24, 1966
- Age
- 18
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Killed in Action
- Circumstance
- Small Arms Fire
Context · from the records
What was happening
34 names on the Wall carry the date February 24, 1966. In February 1966, 513 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), his unit in the record, lost 123 of its members that month.
Also on Panel 5E, Line 74
- ROBERT DECKER PERDUEPrivate First Class · February 24, 1966
- ALLEN LINN PIERCEPetty Officer Third Class · February 24, 1966
- DONALD CHANDLER PIPERPrivate First Class · February 24, 1966
- WILLIE PIPPINS SRSergeant · February 24, 1966
Same unit, same day
- LEE DAVID ANDERSONStaff Sergeant · Panel 5E, Line 69
- HARVEY LEWIS BOWEN JRPrivate First Class · Panel 5E, Line 70
- JAMES B W DETRIXHECaptain · Panel 5E, Line 71
- RICHARD ALLAN MARSHALLPrivate First Class · Panel 5E, Line 72
- JOE CHARLES LILE IISpecialist Four · Panel 5E, Line 73
- ROBERT DELL MERRELLSpecialist Four · Panel 5E, Line 73
- JOSEPH LUTHER ROBINSONSpecialist Four · Panel 5E, Line 75
From Petaluma
- CAMERON A RICECorporal · June 19, 1967
- LARRY ELDON WITTLERPrivate · February 1, 1968
- CHARLES PETER TORLIATT JRPrivate First Class · February 9, 1968
- EDSALL A FRICKFirst Lieutenant · November 4, 1968
- JASON DAVID HUNNICUTTPrivate First Class · June 7, 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.