The Wall › Panel 54E › District of Columbia › Willie Le Earl Ponder
WILLIE LE EARL PONDER
Private First Class · U.S. Army
March 25, 1942 – May 3, 1968
Service recordWillie Le Earl Ponder, of Washington, District of Columbia, served as a Private First Class in the U.S. Army. He died on May 3, 1968, in Hua Nghia Province, South Vietnam, at age 26. His name is inscribed on Panel 54E, Line 28 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 54E · Line 28
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
- Private First Class (PFC)
- Service
- Drafted (Selective Service)
- Occupation
- Infantryman (11B)
- Unit (as recorded)
- 25 INF DIV
- Born
- March 25, 1942
- Home of record
- Washington, District of Columbia (District Of Columbia County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- May 3, 1968
- Age
- 26
- Province
- Hua Nghia
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Died of Wounds
- Circumstance
- Artillery/Mortar/Rocket
Context · from the records
What was happening
39 names on the Wall carry the date May 3, 1968; three of them were lost in Hua Nghia Province. In May 1968, 2,418 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The 25th Infantry Division, his unit in the record, lost 236 of its members that month.
Also on Panel 54E, Line 28
- HOLLAND IRWIN LANGHAMCorporal · May 3, 1968
- WARREN F NICKEL JRPrivate First Class · May 3, 1968
- ALAN PAUL PAGLIARONISpecialist Four · May 3, 1968
- GREGORY GENE PRITCHETTPetty Officer Third Class · May 3, 1968
Same unit, same day
- LONNIE ALLAN BROOKSSergeant · Panel 54E, Line 23
- JACK CRAIG CARCLAYCorporal · Panel 54E, Line 23
- RICHARD M MARTINPrivate First Class · Panel 54E, Line 27
- WARREN F NICKEL JRPrivate First Class · Panel 54E, Line 28
- ALAN PAUL PAGLIARONISpecialist Four · Panel 54E, Line 28
- JULIAN SOLIZCorporal · Panel 54E, Line 29
- JAMES RUSSELL SOUTHEYPrivate First Class · Panel 54E, Line 29
- FRED PATRICK STAFFORDPrivate First Class · Panel 54E, Line 30
From Washington
- HOMER CLEO MCINTYRE JRCaptain · July 28, 1964
- JAMES MARTIN CALEStaff Sergeant · May 16, 1965
- GEZA TEGLASSergeant · October 27, 1965
- LOUIS SHERRODSergeant · November 6, 1965
- LEROY HILLPlatoon Sergeant · November 8, 1965
- CALVIN BOUKNIGHTSpecialist Five · November 16, 1965
- PAUL EDWARD HURDLEStaff Sergeant · November 17, 1965
- THEODORE M BEAMONSpecialist Four · November 23, 1965
- HARRY RONALD HOSKINSONSpecialist Four · December 13, 1965
- WILLIE MITCHELL JRAirman First Class · December 20, 1965
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.