The Wall › Panel 11E › Kansas › William Harley Means JR
WILLIAM HARLEY MEANS JR
Colonel · U.S. Air Force
July 13, 1935 – July 20, 1966
Service recordWilliam Harley Means JR, of Topeka, Kansas, served as a Colonel in the U.S. Air Force. He died on July 20, 1966, in North Vietnam, at age 31. His name is inscribed on Panel 11E, Line 100 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 11E · Line 100
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. Air Force
- Rank
- Colonel (COL)
- Service
- Regular
- Born
- July 13, 1935
- Home of record
- Topeka, Kansas (Shawnee County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- July 20, 1966
- Age
- 31
- Country
- North Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Died of Wounds
- Circumstance
- Aircraft Crash — crew
Context · from the records
What was happening
32 names on the Wall carry the date July 20, 1966. In July 1966, 562 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
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 11E, Line 100
- JOHN COLEMAN ARDISStaff Sergeant · October 23, 1966
- SAMUEL J BAKERCaptain · October 23, 1966
- WILLIAM EDWARD BRANDSpecialist Four · October 23, 1966
- CHARLES FRANCIS BUSBYSenior Chief Petty Officer · October 23, 1966
- GARY BERNARD FLABBIPrivate First Class · October 23, 1966
From Topeka
- RALPH GEORGE REDMONDFirst Lieutenant · June 4, 1964
- ALLEN LEE HOLTChief Warrant Officer 2 · July 5, 1965
- DALE K SHAMBAUGHSecond Lieutenant · August 18, 1965
- EUGENE MILLARD JEWELLCaptain · September 4, 1965
- RICHARD NORMAN PAYNELance Corporal · July 24, 1966
- GARY REED PARSONSPrivate First Class · September 26, 1966
- RICHARD JOHN SASEKCaptain · July 6, 1967
- JEROME GEORGE MCGOVERNSergeant · July 12, 1967
- ROBERT GENE KIMMELLieutenant Colonel · November 14, 1967
- CARL EUGENE MURRAYSpecialist Four · December 20, 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.