The Wall › Panel 63E › Washington › Thomas Ronald Pursel
THOMAS RONALD PURSEL
Warrant Officer 1 · U.S. Army
September 17, 1948 – May 19, 1968
Service recordThomas Ronald Pursel, of Yakima, Washington, served as a Warrant Officer 1 in the U.S. Army. He died on May 19, 1968, in Thua Thien Province, South Vietnam, at age 19. His name is inscribed on Panel 63E, Line 16 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 63E · Line 16
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
- Warrant Officer 1 (WO1)
- Service
- Reserve / National Guard
- Occupation
- Helicopter Pilot, Utility And Light Cargo Single Rotor (062B)
- Unit (as recorded)
- 1 CAV DIV AIRMOBILE
- Born
- September 17, 1948
- Home of record
- Yakima, Washington (Yakima County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- May 19, 1968
- Age
- 19
- Province
- Thua Thien
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Killed in Action
- Circumstance
- Helicopter Crash — crew
Context · from the records
What was happening
89 names on the Wall carry the date May 19, 1968; 16 of them were lost in Thừa Thiên Province. In May 1968, 2,418 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), his unit in the record, lost 160 of its members that month.
Also on Panel 63E, Line 16
- ALBERTO L PEREZPrivate First Class · May 19, 1968
- JOSEPH JAMES PETERLICHLance Corporal · May 19, 1968
- GEORGE RICHARD POPESpecialist Four · May 19, 1968
- DONALD KEITH RAHNPetty Officer Third Class · May 19, 1968
Same unit, same day
- JESSIE FRANKLIN CROWPrivate First Class · Panel 63E, Line 7
- DANNY RAY SWOFFORDSergeant · Panel 63E, Line 8
- GARY NELSON FRYESergeant · Panel 63E, Line 9
- WALTER BENJAMIN KRUPSKICorporal · Panel 63E, Line 12
- RICHARD PAUL MARTINEZSpecialist Four · Panel 63E, Line 13
- PATRICK JAMES THIROWAY JRPrivate First Class · Panel 63E, Line 15
- JERRY MONROE WALDRONPrivate First Class · Panel 64E, Line 1
From Yakima
- LARRY BYRON MCCLANAHANPrivate First Class · February 10, 1965
- PATRICK SPIKER JRStaff Sergeant · July 15, 1965
- DAVID ROSS FAULCONERPrivate First Class · September 12, 1966
- WALTER DARYLE LEACHSpecialist Four · December 1, 1966
- RODNEY RICHARD WEEDSpecialist Four · March 19, 1967
- LLOYD PALMER STEARNSSergeant · April 8, 1967
- JAMES LOUIS ZYPHSpecialist Four · February 24, 1968
- RICHARD SAMUEL GINDERPrivate First Class · March 3, 1968
- VERNON LEE LEUNINGWarrant Officer 1 · March 4, 1968
- GARY LEWIS COLOMBOCorporal · March 6, 1968
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.