The Wall › Panel 55W › Rhode Island › Thomas Joel Smith
THOMAS JOEL SMITH
Chief Warrant Officer 2 · U.S. Army
May 20, 1945 – June 25, 1968
Service recordThomas Joel Smith, of North Kingstown, Rhode Island, served as a Chief Warrant Officer 2 in the U.S. Army. He died on June 25, 1968, in Bien Hoa Province, South Vietnam, at age 23. His name is inscribed on Panel 55W, Line 38 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 55W · Line 38
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
- Chief Warrant Officer 2 (CW2)
- Service
- Reserve / National Guard
- Occupation
- Helicopter Pilot, Utility And Light Cargo Single Rotor (062B)
- Unit (as recorded)
- 1 AVN BDE
- Born
- May 20, 1945
- Home of record
- North Kingstown, Rhode Island (Washington County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- June 25, 1968
- Age
- 23
- Province
- Bien Hoa
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Non-hostile
- Category
- Accident
- Circumstance
- Helicopter Crash — crew
Context · from the records
What was happening
39 names on the Wall carry the date June 25, 1968; 12 of them were lost in Bien Hoa Province. In June 1968, 1,257 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The 1st Aviation Brigade, his unit in the record, lost 45 of its members that month.
Also on Panel 55W, Line 38
- CHARLES CARROLL SALESSpecialist Four · June 25, 1968
- ALBERTO VASQUEZ SANCHEZPrivate First Class · June 25, 1968
- ROBERT MILLER SCOTTFirst Lieutenant · June 25, 1968
- RICHARD SIMMONSStaff Sergeant · June 25, 1968
Same unit, same day
- HARVEY CHARLES ADDISONWarrant Officer 1 · Panel 55W, Line 32
- JOSEPH GEORGE P CATOIR JRSpecialist Five · Panel 55W, Line 33
- GEORGE DOUGLAS DELLSpecialist Five · Panel 55W, Line 33
- DAVID R HOFFMANWarrant Officer 1 · Panel 55W, Line 34
- RALPH MILTON HAVNAERWarrant Officer 1 · Panel 55W, Line 35
- FRANKLIN JOE HINERCaptain · Panel 55W, Line 35
- HENRY LINDSAY PAGE IIISpecialist Five · Panel 55W, Line 36
- ROBERT POWELLSpecialist Four · Panel 55W, Line 37
- ARVI ROHTVALIWarrant Officer 1 · Panel 55W, Line 37
- CHARLES CARROLL SALESSpecialist Four · Panel 55W, Line 38
- WAYNE MICHAEL SMITHSpecialist Four · Panel 55W, Line 39
From North Kingstown
- BRUCE E BOYERSergeant First Class · June 2, 1967
- ROBERT GENE BURLINGHAMCaptain · October 6, 1967
- MAX ARDEN JOHNSONCorporal · March 20, 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.