The Wall › Panel 35W › Oregon › William James Elsten
WILLIAM JAMES ELSTEN
Major · U.S. Army
May 29, 1929 – January 5, 1969
Service recordWilliam James Elsten, of Portland, Oregon, served as a Major in the U.S. Army. He died on January 5, 1969, in Vinh Long Province, South Vietnam, at age 39. His name is inscribed on Panel 35W, Line 37 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 35W · Line 37
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
- Major (MAJ)
- Service
- Reserve / National Guard
- Occupation
- Operations And Training Staff Officer (G3,a3,s3) (2162)
- Unit (as recorded)
- MACV ADVISORS
- Born
- May 29, 1929
- Home of record
- Portland, Oregon (Multnomah County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- January 5, 1969
- Age
- 39
- Province
- Vinh Long
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Non-hostile
- Category
- Illness
- Circumstance
- Infectious Disease
Context · from the records
What was happening
21 names on the Wall carry the date January 5, 1969; he was the only one lost in Vinh Long Province that day. In January 1969, 985 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
MACV Advisers, his unit in the record, lost 11 of its members that month.
Also on Panel 35W, Line 37
- STEVEN ARTHUR WESSELPrivate First Class · January 4, 1969
- RAYMOND WELLINGTON BLANDINLance Corporal · January 5, 1969
- ROBERT JOSEPH CHALLENERCorporal · January 5, 1969
- MICHAEL CROWDERSpecialist Four · January 5, 1969
From Portland
- RICHARD DALE BENZELSergeant First Class · December 6, 1962
- GEORGE WILLIAM WATSONSpecialist Five · December 18, 1963
- HAROLD JAMES ROBERTS JRMaster Sergeant · June 18, 1965
- TYRRELL GORDON LOWRYCaptain · June 18, 1965
- WILLIAM JOHN LAGRANDChief Warrant Officer 2 · September 5, 1965
- LARRY ALAN LINDSEYPrivate First Class · September 6, 1965
- DONALD WALTER LOVETTSpecialist Four · December 8, 1965
- DAVID JOHN BYSTEDTLance Corporal · January 11, 1966
- RAYMOND EARL BROWNLance Corporal · January 12, 1966
- JAMES LEE GARDNERCorporal · February 2, 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.