The Wall › Panel 54W › Virginia › Thomas Melvin Washington
THOMAS MELVIN WASHINGTON
Specialist Four · U.S. Army
January 8, 1947 – July 1, 1968
Service recordThomas Melvin Washington, of Newport News, Virginia, served as a Specialist Four in the U.S. Army. He died on July 1, 1968, in Binh Duong Province, South Vietnam, at age 21. His name is inscribed on Panel 54W, Line 33 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 54W · Line 33
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
- Drafted (Selective Service)
- Occupation
- Infantryman (11B)
- Unit (as recorded)
- 11 ARMORED CAV
- Born
- January 8, 1947
- Home of record
- Newport News, Virginia (Newport News (City) County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- July 1, 1968
- Age
- 21
- Province
- Binh Duong
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Killed in Action
- Circumstance
- Explosive Device
Context · from the records
What was happening
44 names on the Wall carry the date July 1, 1968; six of them were lost in Bình Dương Province. In July 1968, 993 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The unit recorded as “11 ARMORED CAV”, his unit in the record, lost 19 of its members that month.
Also on Panel 54W, Line 33
- SAMUEL RUSSELLPrivate First Class · July 1, 1968
- LYLE EDWARD SLANEFirst Lieutenant · July 1, 1968
- DON SCOTT STANLEYPrivate · July 1, 1968
- TONY TROMBETTASpecialist Four · July 1, 1968
Same unit, same day
- JAMES GERALD BELINSKIPrivate First Class · Panel 54W, Line 26
- HOLLIS RONNEY NORRIDSergeant · Panel 54W, Line 31
- TONY TROMBETTASpecialist Four · Panel 54W, Line 33
- THOMAS HOWARD WILLIAMSPrivate First Class · Panel 54W, Line 34
From Newport News
- ROBERT ALEXANDER WHITESpecialist Four · February 7, 1966
- ROBERT DECKER PERDUEPrivate First Class · February 24, 1966
- JOSEPH LUTHER ROBINSONSpecialist Four · February 24, 1966
- FREDERICK ALBERT SLEMPLieutenant · February 24, 1966
- ROBERT LEE SMITH JRLance Corporal · March 4, 1966
- CLEVELAND VINESCorporal · May 21, 1966
- DONALD ROBERTS ASHBY SRLieutenant Commander · January 19, 1967
- ALEXANDER VIDALESMaster Sergeant · February 22, 1967
- CHARLES EDWARD MURRAYSergeant · March 4, 1967
- JAMES MILES BRANDON JRPrivate First Class · March 17, 1967
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.