State Heroes

1969

Lance Corporal Valarian Lawrence Finley

Mandaree, ND

Vietnam

Branch of Service: Marines

Company / Ship / Flight or equivalent: Company K

Battalion / Task Group / Squadron or equivalent: 3rd Battalion

Regiment / Group / Brigade: 5th Marine Regiment

Division / Fleet / Air Force or Equivalent: 1st Marine Division

Date of Loss: May 28, 1969 / Age: 22

During the month of May the Battalion was participating in combat operations in Quang Nam Province.

1969

Specialist 4 Class Marvin Clarence Briss

Binford, ND

Vietnam

Branch of Service: Army

Company / Ship / Flight or equivalent: Company E

Battalion / Task Group / Squadron or equivalent: 5th Battalion

Regiment / Group / Brigade: 50th Infantry

Division / Fleet / Air Force or Equivalent: 9th Infantry Division

Date of Loss: May 28, 1969 / Age: 20

In Long An, South Vietnam
Hostile, Ground casualty
Gun, small arms fire

1969

Specialist 4 Eric Daryl Nadeau

Grand Forks, ND

Vietnam

Branch of Service: Army

Company / Ship / Flight or equivalent: Company B

Battalion / Task Group / Squadron or equivalent: 1st Battalion

Regiment / Group / Brigade: 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment

Division / Fleet / Air Force or Equivalent: 101st Airborne Division

Date of Loss: May 26, 1969 / Age: 20

Killed in action in Quang Tin, South Vietnam by hostile small arms fire. 

1969

Corporal David James Kuhn

Vietnam

Branch of Service: Army

Company / Ship / Flight or equivalent: Company C

Battalion / Task Group / Squadron or equivalent: 3rd Battalion

Regiment / Group / Brigade: 196th Light Infantry Brigade

Division / Fleet / Air Force or Equivalent: 21st Infantry Division

Date of Loss: May 23, 1969 / Age: 19

Corporal Kuhn was killed in action through hostile actions in Quang Tin, South Vietnam.

1969

Boiler Technician 3rd Class Joseph Dennis Fischer

Zeeland, ND

Vietnam

Branch of Service: Navy

Company / Ship / Flight or equivalent: USS King

Date of Loss: May 23, 1969 / Age: 20

Four Boilermen died, and fifteen other crewmen were injured, during an engineering casualty and subsequent fire in the Tonkin Gulf off Vietnam at 2152 hours, Friday, 23 May 1969.

1969

Private First Class Gene Thomas Gietzen

Glen Ullin, ND

Vietnam

Branch of Service: Marines

Company / Ship / Flight or equivalent: Company A

Battalion / Task Group / Squadron or equivalent: 1st Battalion

Regiment / Group / Brigade: 7th Marine Regiment

Division / Fleet / Air Force or Equivalent: 1st Marine Division

Date of Loss: May 21, 1969 / Age: 19

Southeast of Hill 55 near the hamlet of Chau Lau in Dien Ban District during Operation OKLAHOMA HILLS, a Marine patrol tripped a wire which was connected to a claymore type AP (anti-personnel) mine causing an explosion.

1969

Sergeant Douglas G. Dally

Vietnam

Branch of Service: Air Force

Date of Loss: May 18, 1969 / Age: 23

Died in service

1969

Staff Sergeant Leon David Cox

Jamestown, ND

Vietnam

Branch of Service: Army

Battalion / Task Group / Squadron or equivalent: 8th Battalion

Regiment / Group / Brigade: 6th Artillery Regiment

Division / Fleet / Air Force or Equivalent: 1st Infantry Division

Date of Loss: May 17, 1969 / Age: 35

Killed in action in Binh Duong, South Vietnam in hostile action by an explosive device. 

1969

Staff Sergeant James Claire Kopseng

Vietnam

Branch of Service: Army

Company / Ship / Flight or equivalent: Company D

Battalion / Task Group / Squadron or equivalent: 1st Battalion

Regiment / Group / Brigade: 35th Infantry Regiment

Division / Fleet / Air Force or Equivalent: 4th Infantry Division

Date of Loss: May 14, 1969 / Age: 21

Sergeant Kopseng was Killed in Action by a hostile explosive device in Pleiku, South Vietnam.

1969

Specialist 4 Merlin James Laber

Vietnam

Branch of Service: Army

Company / Ship / Flight or equivalent: Company C

Battalion / Task Group / Squadron or equivalent: 1st Battalion

Regiment / Group / Brigade: 198th Light Infantry Brigade

Division / Fleet / Air Force or Equivalent: 46th Infantry Division

Date of Loss: May 14, 1969 / Age: 21

Killed in action through hostile small arms fire in Quang Tin, South Vietnam. 

1969

Warrant Officer 1st Class Roy Stephen Thomas

Vietnam

Branch of Service: Army

Company / Ship / Flight or equivalent: Company B

Battalion / Task Group / Squadron or equivalent: 25th Aviation Battalion

Division / Fleet / Air Force or Equivalent: 25th Infantry Division

Date of Loss: May 10, 1969 / Age: 22

Roy was killed when his helicopter crashed in Vietnam.

1969

Specialist 4 Gerald Frank Coulthart

Hamilton, ND

Vietnam

Branch of Service: Army

Company / Ship / Flight or equivalent: Battery B

Battalion / Task Group / Squadron or equivalent: 1st Battalion

Regiment / Group / Brigade: 30th Artillery Regiment

Division / Fleet / Air Force or Equivalent: 1st Cavalry Division (Air Mobile)

Date of Loss: April 28, 1969 / Age: 21

Killed in action in Tay Ninh, South Vietnam in hostile action through multiple fragmentation wounds.

1969

1st Lieutenant John Morris Joyce

Minot, ND

Vietnam

Branch of Service: Marines

Company / Ship / Flight or equivalent: Company K

Battalion / Task Group / Squadron or equivalent: 3rd Battalion

Regiment / Group / Brigade: 26th Marines Regiment

Division / Fleet / Air Force or Equivalent: 3rd Marine Division

Date of Loss: April 17, 1969 / Age: 24

In April the Battalion was participating in Operation OKLAHOMA HILLS under the OPCON (Operational Control) of the 7th Marines, and on April 17 Company K discovered an NVA Base Camp just north of Hill 1050 (Nui Doi Dat) in the Thuong Duc District of Qua

1969

Sergeant Stanley John Ottmar

Burt, ND

Vietnam

Branch of Service: Army

Company / Ship / Flight or equivalent: Company D

Battalion / Task Group / Squadron or equivalent: 1st Battalion

Regiment / Group / Brigade: 7th Cavalry Regiment

Division / Fleet / Air Force or Equivalent: 1st Calvary Division

Date of Loss: April 10, 1969 / Age: 19

Killed in action in Bien Hoa, South Vietnam through hostile small arms fire. 

1969

Specialist 5 Gerald Anthony Decker

Sentinel Butte, ND

Vietnam

Branch of Service: Army

Company / Ship / Flight or equivalent: Company D

Battalion / Task Group / Squadron or equivalent: 1st Battalion

Regiment / Group / Brigade: 5th Infantry Regiment

Division / Fleet / Air Force or Equivalent: 25th Infantry Division

Date of Loss: April 10, 1969 / Age: 20

On April 10, 1969, at 0240 hours, a Spooky Gunship was operating near the Company B night perimeter. At 0428 hours, Company B reported that they had one Bobcat killed and two wounded from stray rounds from the Spooky Gunship and needed a Dust-off.