The Wall › Panel 43W › South Carolina › William Earl Bruster
WILLIAM EARL BRUSTER
Private First Class · U.S. Army
July 28, 1947 – September 18, 1968
Service recordWilliam Earl Bruster, of Greenville, South Carolina, served as a Private First Class in the U.S. Army. He died on September 18, 1968, in Chau Doc Province, South Vietnam, at age 21. His name is inscribed on Panel 43W, Line 25 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 43W · Line 25
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
- Private First Class (PFC)
- Service
- Drafted (Selective Service)
- Occupation
- Armor Reconnaissance Specialist (11D)
- Unit (as recorded)
- 1 AVN BDE
- Born
- July 28, 1947
- Home of record
- Greenville, South Carolina (Greenville County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- September 18, 1968
- Age
- 21
- Province
- Chau Doc
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Non-hostile
- Category
- Accident
- Circumstance
- Drowning
Context · from the records
What was happening
42 names on the Wall carry the date September 18, 1968; he was the only one lost in Chau Doc Province that day. In September 1968, 1,184 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The 1st Aviation Brigade, his unit in the record, lost 35 of its members that month.
Also on Panel 43W, Line 25
- JOSEPH SIMON BRAVINFirst Lieutenant · September 18, 1968
- RONALD LEWIS BROWNCorporal · September 18, 1968
- GARY LEE BROWNINGSpecialist Four · September 18, 1968
- DEWAYNE THOMAS WILLIAMSPrivate First Class · September 18, 1968
From Greenville
- THOMAS EDWARD MCMAHAN JRCaptain · September 28, 1965
- GARY RAY BRYANTSpecialist Four · January 25, 1966
- WALTER REAVES TATE JRSpecialist Four · July 20, 1966
- WILLIAM HENRY HAWKINSStaff Sergeant · July 24, 1966
- SAMUEL RALPH MOSERPrivate First Class · August 3, 1966
- CHARLIE LYLES JRSergeant · November 17, 1966
- KENNETH RHODESSpecialist Four · December 12, 1966
- DOUGLAS MACARTHUR MCCRARYFirst Lieutenant · February 16, 1967
- DANA CORNELL DARNELLLance Corporal · April 26, 1967
- JIMMY WILLIAM HALLLance Corporal · June 7, 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.
