DAVID GORDON RUSSELL

Birth 24SEP46 Rank LCPL Date of Death O2APR66 P. of birth   Service Marines Place Quang Nam S. Vietnam Town of Record Salem Unit B CO 1ST BN 3RD MARS Death Code Hostile, Died; Guns, Small Arms Fire; Ground Casualty Hometown   service # 2130604 Panel 06EAST - 77 Married Single In Service 1 yr Medals Purple Heart   Tour Date   Comment   Cemetery  Willamette National Cem., Portland OR

     KEITH LEROY SHIPP

Birth 18AUG46 Rank PFC Date of Death O2APR66 P. of birth   Service Army Place S. Vietnam Town of Record Medford Unit 25th Inf Div HHC 1st Bn 5th Inf Death Code Hostile, Died; Multiple Fragmentation Wounds Ground Casualty Hometown   service # 19815582 Panel 06EAST - 78 Married Single In Service 1 yr Medals Purple Heart   Tour Date 06JAN66 Comment   Cemetery

Medford Soldier Dies in Viet Nam
    A Medford soldier, Pfc. Keith L. Shipp, 19, son of Mrs. Charles (Leota) Leder of Route 4, Box 430D, Coleman Creek Road, Medford, was killed in action in Viet Nam 2 Apr (1966) Mrs. Leder was notified Sunday.
    Pfc. Shipp enlisted in the U.S. Army from Spokane WA a little over a year ago. His mother received a letter from him Friday, in which he stated that he was going out on a special operation and that she might not hear from him "for awhile."
    He was with Headquarters Company, Fifth Infantry, 25th Division.
    The message, received Sunday by Sgt. K. E. Martin, regular Army advisor with the Army Reserve, stated that Pfc. Shipp had died of multiple wounds received from an enemy mine. The message was wired to Sgt. Martin for personal delivery to the soldier's mother.
    Pfc. Shipp attended school at Bonner's Ferry ID, but had visited in Medford at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Leder; and with his half brother, Jerry Carruthers of Jacksonville. Carruthers also served in the U. S. Army, his mother stated this morning. He completed his enlistment and was discharged last June
    Pfc. Shipp went overseas last September and had been located in Hawaii when he shipped out to Viet Nam in January.
    Arrangements are being made to bring the soldier's body to Medford. Funeral arrangements will be announced by Memory Gardens Funeral Home. (Medford Mail Tribune, Medford OR, 27 Feb 1968)

     WALTER CHARLES FILLMAN Sr

Birth 03OCT35 Rank SGT Date of Death O7APR66 P. of birth Santa Rosa CA Service Army Place S. Vietnam Town of Record Cave Junction Unit 1st Inf Div A Co 1st Bn 26th Inf Death Code Hostile, Died Wounds; Guns, Small Arms Fire; Ground Casualty Hometown   service # 19753808 Panel 06EAST - 92 Married Married In Service 12 yrs Medals Purple Heart   Tour Date 25DEC65 Comment   Cemetery Hillcrest Memorial Park, Grants Pass OR

    Sergeant Walter C. Fillman was killed in Vietnam the night of 7 Apr 1966.
    But as usual there is much more to the story than those few words. Although he was born in Santa Rosa CA 30 Oct 1935, he called the Illinois Valley his home.
    He moved here in 1946, attended its schools, graduated from Illinois Valley High School, married a local girl - the former Gladys Laborde who lives in Cave Junction with their four children, Walter Jr., 8; Geraldine, 6; Laura, 4; Albert, 2 - and served as Cave Junction's chief of police in a period between services.
    His mother, Juanita Yarbrough, lives here as does his brother, Roy, and his half-sister Grace Yarbrough. The Valley knew Walt Fillman as one of its own.
    Walt joined the Marine Corps after graduation and served two hitches. He had police training in the service and spent five years as a military policeman. When he was honorably discharged in Yuma AZ in September 1962 he was a sergeant and the M. P. Chief.
    Walt came home then, and took the position of Cave Junction's chief of police on 1 Oct. He had one year to re-enlist in the service and retain his sergeant's rating and with nearly ten years of service behind him, Walt decided to make it his career. On 30 Apr 1963, he joined the United States Army at Fort Ord.
    Just before Christmas in 1965 Walt was notified he was being sent to Vietnam and the family had their Christmas a week early so he could be with them. This April Walt was due to be rotated home. He had written Gladys to expect him; had told his father, Charles A. Fillman, of Vallejo CA, to expect a telephone call from him asking for a ride.
    At nine o'clock last Thursday night a Viet Cong sniper's bullet killed Walt. He was 30 years old and was coming home in 19 days.
    Church services will be held at the Community Church Saturday 16 Apr (1966) at 1:00 p.m. Military graveside services will be held at Hillcrest Memorial Park in Grants Pass at 3:00 p.m.
    Besides those mentioned before he is survived by another brother, John F. of Riverside CA; two half-brothers, Charles Fillman Jr., who is also in Viet Nam, and Edward Yarbrough of Riverside.
    Sgt. Walter C. Fillman, U.S. Army: killed in action in the jungles of a foreign country called Viet Nam. The first casualty from a little spot in southwest Oregon - the Illinois Valley. (Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction OR, Thursday 14 Apr 1966)

     THOMAS TAYLOR WALKER

Birth 06SEP35 Rank CPT Date of Death O7APR66 P. of birth   Service Air Force Place LZ Laos Town of Record Toledo Unit 8TH BOMB SQUADRON, 405TH ADVANCED ECHELON Death Code Hostile, Died; Air Loss, Crash - Land Fixed Wing - Crew Hometown   service # 62785 Panel 06EAST 93 Married Single In Service 4 yrs Medals Purple Heart   MIA - BNR Comment   Cemetery

Extracted information from the POWNetwork) The PowNetWork has little information, currently, about this event. Information about this incident is available at PowNetWork.Org

     EDWARD LEE GEORGE

Birth 14MAY46 Rank PFC Date of Death 11APR66 P. of birth   Service Army Place S. Vietnam Town of Record Myrtle Creek Unit 1st Inf Div C Co 2nd Bn 16th Inf Death Code Hostile, Died; Multiple Fragmentation Wounds Ground Casualty Hometown   service # 19759023 Panel 06EAST - 99 Married Single In Service 2 yrs Medals Purple Heart   Tour Date 04MAR66 Comment   Cemetery

     RONNIE RAY LOVETT

Birth 13APR47 Rank PFC Date of Death 12APR66 P. of birth Bakersfield CA Service Army Place S. Vietnam Town of Record Phoenix Unit unknown 162 AHC Death Code Non Hostile, Died Other; Air Loss, Crash - Land Helicopter - NonCrew Hometown   service # 19845378 Panel 06EAST - 107 Married Single In Service   Medals   Tour Date   Event Date 11APR66 Cemetery Ashland Cemetery, Ashland, Oregon

Wounded Soldier Dies At Hospital
    Pfc Ronald Lovett, U. S. Army Phoenix who would have observed his 19th birthday yesterday, died in a military hospital in San Antonio TX on Tuesday as result of wounds received in Viet Nam the preceding day.
    Lovett, in the Infantry, was a gunner on an Army helicopter. He is a son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Lovett, Phoenix (OR). He was inducted into the Army in September 1965 and was sent to Viet Nam on 22 Mar (1966) just 19 days before he was fatally wounded.
    Born in Bakersfield CA on 13 Apr 1947, Lovett attended Ashland High School before entering the military service.
    Along with his parents, he is survived by three brothers, Danny and Paul, both of Ashland and Jerry Lovett, Fort Ord CA.
    Funeral service arrangements will be announced by Litwiller's Funeral Home Ashland. (Medford Mail Tribune, Medford OR, Thursday 14 Apr 1966)

     TERRY ALLEN RIPPY

Birth 30SEP42 Rank SP4 Date of Death 22APR66 P. of birth   Service Army Place S. Vietnam Town of Record Hammond Unit 1st Cav Div D Co 2nd Bn 8th Cav Death Code Hostile, Died; Other Explosive Devices Ground Casualty Hometown   service # 19645301 Panel 06EAST - 128 Married Married In Service 6 yrs Medals Purple Heart   Tour Date 30NOV65 Comment   Cemetery

     STANLEY J BENSON

Birth 28NOV44 Rank PFC Date of Death 26APR66 P. of birth   Service Army (Draft) Place S. Vietnam Town of Record Kinzua Unit 1st Inf Div C Co 1st Bn 16th Inf Death Code Hostile, Died; Guns, Small Arms Fire; Ground Casualty Hometown   service # 56366570 Panel 07EAST - 01 Married Single In Service   Medals Purple Heart   Tour Date 26FEB66 Comment   Cemetery