The Wall › Panel 6E › California › William Ronald Grayson
WILLIAM RONALD GRAYSON
Commander · U.S. Navy
November 5, 1930 – April 1, 1966
Service recordWilliam Ronald Grayson, of Riverside, California, served as a Commander in the U.S. Navy. He died on April 1, 1966, in North Vietnam, at age 35. His name is inscribed on Panel 6E, Line 71 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 6E · Line 71
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
- Commander (CDR)
- Service
- Regular
- Occupation
- Url Pilot (1310)
- Unit (as recorded)
- VAH 4 USS ENTERPRISE CVAN 65
- Born
- November 5, 1930
- Home of record
- Riverside, California (Riverside County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- April 1, 1966
- Age
- 35
- Country
- North Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Non-hostile
- Category
- Accident
- Circumstance
- Aircraft Crash — crew
- Remains
- Not recovered as of the 2008 DoD record
Context · from the records
What was happening
15 names on the Wall carry the date April 1, 1966. In April 1966, 406 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The unit recorded as “VAH 4 USS ENTERPRISE CVAN 65”, his unit in the record, lost 2 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.
His remains had not been recovered when the 2008 record was compiled. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency continues to search for Americans still missing from the war; families can find case information through dpaa.mil.
Read the history
On the Wall
Also on Panel 6E, Line 71
- JESSE J COFFEYSergeant · April 1, 1966
- WILLIAM THEODORE JOHNSONCorporal · April 1, 1966
- DAVID JOSEPH KERNPrivate First Class · April 1, 1966
- WILLIAM FREDERICK KOHLRUSCHLieutenant (junior grade) · April 1, 1966
From Riverside
- THEODORE BERT PHILLIPSStaff Sergeant · October 24, 1964
- FRANK BRENNAN PARISHLance Corporal · June 18, 1966
- BRAD WILLIAM MORANDPrivate First Class · July 12, 1966
- ROBBIN ADAIR GOODWINPrivate First Class · August 3, 1966
- PATRICK LEE WOODLance Corporal · January 11, 1967
- VINCENT JOSEPH BENEGASLance Corporal · April 21, 1967
- RICHARD ELZIE VEACHSpecialist Four · May 28, 1967
- DENNIS EUGENE MONFILSPrivate First Class · June 3, 1967
- HECTOR FUENTESHospitalman · July 2, 1967
- PHILLIP WILLARD ROELance Corporal · July 2, 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.