The Wall › Panel 39W › California › William Dewitt Nelson
WILLIAM DEWITT NELSON
Specialist Four · U.S. Army
March 25, 1945 – November 6, 1968
Service recordWilliam Dewitt Nelson, of Long Beach, California, served as a Specialist Four in the U.S. Army. He died on November 6, 1968, in Tay Ninh Province, South Vietnam, at age 23. His name is inscribed on Panel 39W, Line 28 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 39W · Line 28
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
- Medical Specialist (91B)
- Unit (as recorded)
- 1 CAV DIV AIRMOBILE
- Born
- March 25, 1945
- Home of record
- Long Beach, California (Los Angeles County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- November 6, 1968
- Age
- 23
- Province
- Tay Ninh
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Killed in Action
- Circumstance
- Small Arms Fire
Context · from the records
What was happening
31 names on the Wall carry the date November 6, 1968; four of them were lost in Tây Ninh Province. In November 1968, 918 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), his unit in the record, lost 98 of its members that month.
Also on Panel 39W, Line 28
- GEORGE ALFRED MARKS JRHospitalman · November 6, 1968
- GERALD CARL MULLINCorporal · November 6, 1968
- GERALD ROY PETERSONCorporal · November 6, 1968
- LAWSON J SCHROYER IIISergeant · November 6, 1968
Same unit, same day
- LARRY RONALD BELLAMYSpecialist Four · Panel 39W, Line 25
- RUSSELL J POWELLSergeant · Panel 39W, Line 29
- ALLAN LEE SCHMIDTPrivate First Class · Panel 39W, Line 29
- MARVIN ISAAC SIDERSMajor · Panel 39W, Line 29
From Long Beach
- PETER ANTHONY SEMMERPrivate First Class · February 11, 1965
- RICHARD GRAHAM ALLENPrivate First Class · March 4, 1966
- IVAN JOSEPH BROYLESSergeant · April 21, 1966
- RICHARD EYRE CROWELance Corporal · May 29, 1966
- FRANZ GERHARD PREDIGERSpecialist Four · June 30, 1966
- ANTHONY ROBERT BOSHPrivate First Class · September 7, 1966
- GERALD JOHNSONPrivate First Class · November 15, 1966
- MICHAEL PAUL MCCONAHAYPrivate First Class · November 23, 1966
- EDMOND SANMARCOSPrivate First Class · December 19, 1966
- MARSHAL LYNN HORTONSpecialist Four · December 25, 1966
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.