The Wall › Panel 20W › Illinois › Walter Karas
WALTER KARAS
Corporal · U.S. Army
September 22, 1948 – July 19, 1969
Service recordWalter Karas, of Chicago, Illinois, served as a Corporal in the U.S. Army. He died on July 19, 1969, in Thua Thien Province, South Vietnam, at age 20. His name is inscribed on Panel 20W, Line 20 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 20W · Line 20
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
- Corporal (CPL)
- Service
- Regular
- Occupation
- Infantryman (11B)
- Unit (as recorded)
- 101 AIRBORNE DIV
- Born
- September 22, 1948
- Home of record
- Chicago, Illinois (Cook County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- July 19, 1969
- Age
- 20
- Province
- Thua Thien
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Killed in Action
- Circumstance
- Small Arms Fire
Context · from the records
What was happening
38 names on the Wall carry the date July 19, 1969; seven of them were lost in Thừa Thiên Province. In July 1969, 834 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The 101st Airborne Division, his unit in the record, lost 101 of its members that month.
Also on Panel 20W, Line 20
- RICHARD ALLAN HAVLIKPrivate First Class · July 19, 1969
- MICHAEL ALLEN HAWKCorporal · July 19, 1969
- BERNARD MICHAEL LUEBKERTCorporal · July 19, 1969
- AUBREY GRADY MARTINLieutenant · July 19, 1969
Same unit, same day
- JERYL FRANKLIN DRISKILLPrivate First Class · Panel 20W, Line 19
- JOHN GARY GERTSCHStaff Sergeant · Panel 20W, Line 19
- RAYMON DRAPER HALESSergeant · Panel 20W, Line 19
- RICHARD ALLAN HAVLIKPrivate First Class · Panel 20W, Line 20
- MICHAEL ALLEN HAWKCorporal · Panel 20W, Line 20
- ALFONSO OLMOSSpecialist Four · Panel 20W, Line 22
- DUREL STEVENS WOODSCorporal · Panel 20W, Line 24
- HARRY PATRICK YINGLINGSergeant · Panel 20W, Line 24
From Chicago
- MELVIN LESTER WATERSPrivate · February 10, 1965
- WILLIAM RALPH FUHRMANPetty Officer Third Class · April 23, 1965
- RAYMOND LEON HORNCorporal · May 1, 1965
- ARTHUR C JEPSON JRCaptain · May 16, 1965
- DONALD CLAY DEDMONStaff Sergeant · June 10, 1965
- ROGER PELIKANLance Corporal · July 17, 1965
- HARRY COHENTechnical Sergeant · July 19, 1969
- CURTIS LOCKHARTPrivate First Class · July 30, 1965
- EDWARD KOPECPrivate First Class · August 18, 1965
- JAMES LEO WHITELance Corporal · August 19, 1965
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.