The Wall › Panel 12W › Alabama › Willie James Ridgeway
WILLIE JAMES RIDGEWAY
Captain · U.S. Army
February 9, 1940 – April 2, 1970
Service recordWillie James Ridgeway, of Mobile, Alabama, served as a Captain in the U.S. Army. He died on April 2, 1970, in Kontum Province, South Vietnam, at age 30. His name is inscribed on Panel 12W, Line 84 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 12W · Line 84
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
- Captain (CPT)
- Service
- Reserve / National Guard
- Occupation
- Fixed Wing Aviation Unit Commander (1980)
- Unit (as recorded)
- 1 AVN BDE
- Born
- February 9, 1940
- Home of record
- Mobile, Alabama (Mobile County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- April 2, 1970
- Age
- 30
- Province
- Kontum
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Non-hostile
- Category
- Accident
- Circumstance
- Aircraft Crash — crew
Context · from the records
What was happening
39 names on the Wall carry the date April 2, 1970; four of them were lost in Kon Tum Province. In April 1970, 730 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The 1st Aviation Brigade, his unit in the record, lost 39 of its members that month.
Also on Panel 12W, Line 84
- EVERETT EDWARD RINESPrivate First Class · April 2, 1970
- SEVERIANO RIOSCorporal · April 2, 1970
- HENRY NEIL ROCKOWERFirst Lieutenant · April 2, 1970
- WILLIAM THOMAS SMITHStaff Sergeant · April 2, 1970
Same unit, same day
- WILLIAM LOUIS VASPORYSergeant · Panel 12W, Line 85
From Mobile
- ANDREW C MITCHELL IIICaptain · April 8, 1963
- DAVID RUDOLPH DICKENSFirst Sergeant · November 1, 1965
- EDDIE LEE HILL JRCorporal · November 4, 1965
- SHERMAN ELDRIDGE OTISPrivate First Class · November 17, 1965
- NATHANIEL EARL CARTER IIISergeant · November 25, 1965
- ROBERT EDWARD BEXLEYPrivate First Class · January 30, 1966
- ROBERT LOUIS BEATONSergeant · February 22, 1966
- JOSEPH EMMETT LILLEYPrivate First Class · May 14, 1966
- JAMES DWIGHT NEWCOMBLance Corporal · July 17, 1966
- TIMOTHY SCOTT DAVIESLance Corporal · July 20, 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.