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| Tharpe arrived in South Vietnam October 19,1968 and was assigned to A/2/501st. SP4 Samuel Charles Tharpe Died: May 13, 1969 in Thua Thien, South Vietnam due to hostle fire. Panel 25W - Line 112 |
A Note from The Virtual Wall
www.virtualwall.org
Fire Support Base AIRBORNE was located on the northern point of a ridgeline which ran parallel
to the A Shau Valley in western Thua Thien Province. In early May 1969 FSB AIRBORNE was
manned by three artillery batteries protected by elements of the 2nd Bn, 501st Infantry. On the
night of 12/13 May the base was attacked by the 6th NVA Regiment supported by 46 men from
the K-12 Sapper Bn. The bloody fight which followed left 27 Americans dead and at least 61
wounded. NVA losses were not accurately known since the attackers had, as usual, taken as
many of their dead with them as was possible, but 39 NVA bodies were left behind. C Btry 2/319
Arty and A Co 2/501st Infantry had borne the brunt of the attack:
C Btry, 2nd Bn, 319th Artillery
CPT Moulton L. Freeman, Port St Joe, FL
SSG Kenneth T. Cruise, San Francisco, CA
SP5 James R. Gohagin, Atmore, AL
SGT James C. Harper, Nicholls, GA
SGT Bobby G. Lawrence, Sacramento, CA
SGT Francis L. Souza, Orange, CA
CPL Edward A. Clarke, Downingtown, PA
SP4 Eric B. Johnson, Laurens, IA
SP4 Richard R. Kelley, Weymouth, MA
SP4 Arlen J. Miller, Emmaus, PA
SP4 Roger D. Ross, Hayward, CA
CPL Thomas W. Sadler, Oakland, CA
CPL William F. Silver, Vinton, VA
PFC Warren P. Nix, Los Angeles, CA
A Co, 2nd Bn, 501st Infantry
2LT Bruce Saunders, New York, NY
SGT Oscar D. Boydston, San Francisco, CA
SP4 Carl F. Arbogast, Marquette, MI
SP4 Donald J. Corbett, Adel, GA
CPL Ernest L. Gordon, Birmingham, AL
CPL Robert R. Malecki, Chicago, IL
SP4 Samuel C. Tharpe, Bentonville, VA
PFC Cleabern W. Hill, Stantonville, TN
PFC William D. Poole, Marietta, SC
PFC Lynn C. Swanson, Argyle, MN
www.virtualwall.org
Fire Support Base AIRBORNE was located on the northern point of a ridgeline which ran parallel
to the A Shau Valley in western Thua Thien Province. In early May 1969 FSB AIRBORNE was
manned by three artillery batteries protected by elements of the 2nd Bn, 501st Infantry. On the
night of 12/13 May the base was attacked by the 6th NVA Regiment supported by 46 men from
the K-12 Sapper Bn. The bloody fight which followed left 27 Americans dead and at least 61
wounded. NVA losses were not accurately known since the attackers had, as usual, taken as
many of their dead with them as was possible, but 39 NVA bodies were left behind. C Btry 2/319
Arty and A Co 2/501st Infantry had borne the brunt of the attack:
C Btry, 2nd Bn, 319th Artillery
CPT Moulton L. Freeman, Port St Joe, FL
SSG Kenneth T. Cruise, San Francisco, CA
SP5 James R. Gohagin, Atmore, AL
SGT James C. Harper, Nicholls, GA
SGT Bobby G. Lawrence, Sacramento, CA
SGT Francis L. Souza, Orange, CA
CPL Edward A. Clarke, Downingtown, PA
SP4 Eric B. Johnson, Laurens, IA
SP4 Richard R. Kelley, Weymouth, MA
SP4 Arlen J. Miller, Emmaus, PA
SP4 Roger D. Ross, Hayward, CA
CPL Thomas W. Sadler, Oakland, CA
CPL William F. Silver, Vinton, VA
PFC Warren P. Nix, Los Angeles, CA
A Co, 2nd Bn, 501st Infantry
2LT Bruce Saunders, New York, NY
SGT Oscar D. Boydston, San Francisco, CA
SP4 Carl F. Arbogast, Marquette, MI
SP4 Donald J. Corbett, Adel, GA
CPL Ernest L. Gordon, Birmingham, AL
CPL Robert R. Malecki, Chicago, IL
SP4 Samuel C. Tharpe, Bentonville, VA
PFC Cleabern W. Hill, Stantonville, TN
PFC William D. Poole, Marietta, SC
PFC Lynn C. Swanson, Argyle, MN
| Tharpe is listed on the 1968 Roster. He is not listed on the KIA Roster which covers 1967 - 1968 because he died in 1969. Read the account of May 12-13, 1969. |
