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Casualty Info
Home Town Fullerton, CA
Last Address Fullerton, CA
Casualty Date Aug 07, 1968
Cause Non Hostile- Died Other Causes
Reason Vehicle Loss, Crash
Location Bien Hoa (Vietnam)
Conflict Vietnam War
Location of Interment Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Cypress) - Cypress, California
Wall/Plot Coordinates 49W 021
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
Last Known Activity:
Casualty Occurrence: This Soldier was killed in a traffic accident when his vehicle skidded & overturned in Bein Hoa Province.
M Harris. Local Veteran Organization. Fullerton, CA., 92833. Fullerton, Remembers You, on It's Memorial, Your friend, David H Patterson worked tirelessly, to finally get your name, added, to the Fullerton, Memorial. He misses you. Your school, has volunteered, to be, your family. Your name will, be placed on the memorial, at Hillcrest Park in time, for our Veteran's, Day Ceremony, 2008. You, are not forgotten, Thomas and now all who see, the memorial will know you, were here. Sep 17, 2008.
Comments/Citation:
Thomas H. Courson, Best Friend, 539 N. Old Pacific Hwy. Myrtle Creek, Or. 97457. Your still my best friend. Tom and I went through High School together and although he was a year older, we had some real good times. He joined the Army before me and the last time we spoke was at a small grocery store down the street from our houses. I lost track of him during those hectic times and never knew we served in Vietnam at the same time and so close to each other. With his passing a part of me went with him. I will always remember him and wish I could have seen him one more time. God bless this young man.
Friday, March 22, 2002
Vietnam War/Counteroffensive Phase IV Campaign (1968)
From Month/Year
April / 1968
To Month/Year
June / 1968
Description This campaign was from 2 April to 30 June 1968. During this period friendly forces conducted a number of battalion-size attritional operations against the enemy.
Operations PEGASUS-Lam Son 207 relieved the Khe Sanh Combat Base on 5 April and thereby opened Route 9 for the first time since August 1967. This operation not only severely restricted the North Vietnamese Army's use of western Quang Tri Province but also inflicted casualties on the remnants of two North Vietnamese divisions withdrawing from the area. This success was followed by a singular allied spoiling operation in the A Shau Valley, Operation DELAWARE-Lam Son. These two operations prevented the enemy from further attacking I Corps Tactical Zone population centers and forced him to shift his pressure to the III Corps Tactical Zone.
During the period 5-12 May 1968 the Viet Cong launched an offensive with Saigon as the primary objective. Friendly forces defended the city with great determination. Consequently Saigon was never in danger of being overrun. Small Viet Cong units that did manage to get into the outskirts were fragmented and driven out with great loss of enemy life. By the end of June 1968 friendly forces had decisively blunted the enemy's attacks, inflicted very heavy casualties, and hindered his ability to attack urban areas throughout the Republic of Vietnam. The enemy was forced to withdraw to his sanctuaries.
The strength of the U.S. Army in Vietnam reach a peak of nearly 360,000 men during this period.
