Photo In Uniform |
Service Details |
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Last Rank
Captain
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Last Service Branch
Ordnance Corps
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Last Primary MOS
4514-Conventional Ammunition Officer
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Last MOS Group
Quartermaster Corps (Officer)
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Primary Unit
1969-1969, 4514, 630th Ordnance Company
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Service Years
1964 - 1969
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Last Photo |
Personal Details
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Home State
 Pennsylvania | |
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Year of Birth 1944 |
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This Military Service Page was created/owned by
SGT James E. Reece, III (Team Leader, Vietnam Profiles)
to remember
Ahlum, William John, CPT.
If you knew or served with this Soldier and have additional information or photos to support this Page, please leave a message for the Page Administrator(s) HERE.
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Casualty Info
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Home Town Hatboro, PA |
Last Address Hatboro, PA
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Casualty Date Mar 23, 1969 |
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Cause Hostile, Died |
Reason Other Explosive Device |
Location Binh Dinh (Vietnam) |
Conflict Vietnam War |
Location of Interment Beverly National Cemetery - Beverly, New Jersey |
Wall/Plot Coordinates 28W 016 |
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Last Known Activity I served with Captain William J. Ahlum in the 184th Ord. Bn. in South Vietnam in 1969. Capt. Ahlum was new to our battalion. On the night of March 23rd, the Qui Nhon Army Ammunition Depot came under attack. We begin a sweep of the Depot searching for the Viet Cong.
I first met Captain Ahlum on March 10, 1969. Our unit was under attacked that night, and someone brought him to my location that evening. He shadowed me that night to learn the pros and cons of what to do or not to do when a unit was attacked.
In searching for VC, we swept the individual ammunition pads looking for stachel charges (explosive devices) set by by them. One of the pads that I was going to checkout was pad # 64. As I approached this pad I noticed a jeep parked in front of the pad, and I saw the two people on the pad. I told my driver to proceed to the next pad. As we were passing pad # 64 it went high order. The massive explosion was so great that it created a crater more than 70 feet deep. Capt. Ahlum and his driver were on pad # 64 when the explosion occured.
By Major Keith Manley
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Comments/Citation Not Specified
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