This Military Service Page was created/owned by
SGT Thomas Edward Soltis
to remember
Thomas, James Lawrence, SFC.
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.
Casualty Info
Home Town Springfield, TN
Last Address Chicago, Illinois
Casualty Date May 30, 1968
Cause KIA-Died of Wounds
Reason Burns
Location Quang Nam (Vietnam)
Conflict Vietnam War
Location of Interment Pine Ridge Cemetery - Columbia, South Carolina
Date of Birth March 5, 1928
African American
Methodist
�
Married: Shirley C. Thomas
Children: Daughter and Son
�
Mother: Lula M. Thomas
�
Regular Army: Enlisted
Eighteen years U.S. Army service
�
Start Vietnam Tour of Duty March 13, 1968
4th Battalion, 51st ARVN Infantry Regiment, Advance Team 1, HQ MACV Advisors, MACV
�
Platoon Sergeant (PSGT) in Vietnam
MOS 11F4H Infantry Operations and Intelligence Specialist (Instructor)
�
Died due to very serious wounds from hostile recoilless rocket (Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) attack on a landing zone while moving wounded soldiers onto an Army Medevac helicopter about four kilometers south to southwest of Dien Ban, Quang Nam Province, U.S. Military Region 1, Republic of South Vietnam.� The helicopter was a CH-46A Medevac and was hit by the hostile rocket.� SFC Thomas was evacuated to an Army Hospital in Vietnam and then onto Japan where he died on May 30, 1968.� The incident date of action was May 24, 1968.
�
Age at death 40
�
Already loaded aboard the medevac helicopter were other wounded soldiers including 1LT Michael A. Smoger.� 1LT Smoger was killed by the RPG round that hit the medevac.� The two pilots and two non-officer crew members were wounded and survived.
�
�
