The Wall › Panel 24E › South Carolina › William Frank Thompson
WILLIAM FRANK THOMPSON
Petty Officer First Class · U.S. Navy
November 28, 1929 – July 29, 1967
Service recordWilliam Frank Thompson, of Walhalla, South Carolina, served as a Petty Officer First Class in the U.S. Navy. He died on July 29, 1967, in North Vietnam, at age 37. His name is inscribed on Panel 24E, Line 47 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 24E · Line 47
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. Navy
- Rank
- Petty Officer First Class (PO1)
- Service
- Regular
- Occupation
- Aviation Structural Mechanic (Hydraulics) (AMH)
- Unit (as recorded)
- USNAVFORV
- Born
- November 28, 1929
- Home of record
- Walhalla, South Carolina (Oconee County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- July 29, 1967
- Age
- 37
- Country
- North Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Non-hostile
- Category
- Accident
- Circumstance
- Ship/Submarine Accident At Sea (MC)
Context · from the records
What was happening
184 names on the Wall carry the date July 29, 1967. In July 1967, 1,057 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The unit recorded as “USNAVFORV”, his unit in the record, lost 14 of its members that month.
He died in North Vietnam while Operation Rolling Thunder was under way. Operation Rolling Thunder (March 1965–November 1968) was the sustained U.S. bombing campaign against North Vietnam, flown by Air Force fighter-bombers from Thailand and Navy aircraft from carriers in the Gulf of Tonkin against some of the densest air defenses in the world.
Also on Panel 24E, Line 47
- RICHARD JOSEPH VALLONEPetty Officer Third Class · July 29, 1967
- ROBERT JEROME VELASQUEZAirman · July 29, 1967
- JUAN ANTONIO VELEZAirman · July 29, 1967
- GEORGE ELTON WALLAirman · July 29, 1967
Same unit, same day
- MARVIN JARRELL ADKINSPetty Officer Second Class · Panel 24E, Line 13
- DENNIS MICHAEL BARTONLieutenant · Panel 24E, Line 14
- RICHARD DEAN CLENDENENAirman · Panel 24E, Line 17
- WILLIAM DANIEL COLLINSSeaman · Panel 24E, Line 18
- ROBERT BRYAN COTTENAirman · Panel 24E, Line 18
- LAWRENCE JOSEPH GILBERTAirman · Panel 24E, Line 25
- WILLIAM THOMAS GILROYPetty Officer Third Class · Panel 24E, Line 25
- LARRY EDWARD GRACEPetty Officer Third Class · Panel 24E, Line 25
- RICHARD LEE OWENSChief Petty Officer · Panel 24E, Line 38
- RICHARD TERRY SMITHSeaman · Panel 24E, Line 43
- KERRY DEAN WISDOMAirman · Panel 24E, Line 49
From Walhalla
- BILLY LEESpecialist Four · October 8, 1966
- GERALD EDWARD CHASTAINSpecialist Four · November 22, 1966
- AUSTIN IVAN EDWARDSPrivate First Class · March 3, 1969
- THOMAS EUGENE HOLMESCorporal · November 6, 1969
- WILLIE JOHNSONFirst Sergeant · March 5, 1970
- GRADY LEE NORRISSergeant First Class · July 27, 1970
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.