Birth 05SEP43 Rank 2LT Date of Death 01NOV67 P. of birth   Service Marines (Reserve) Place Quang Tri S. Vietnam Town of Record Salem Unit   Death Code Hostile, Died Wounds; Guns, Small Arms Fire; Ground Casualty Hometown   service # 095694 Panel 29EAST - 01 Married Married In Service   Medals Purple Heart   Tour Date 06OCT67 Comment   Cemetery

Birth 01NOV42 Rank HM2 Date of Death 01NOV67 P. of birth   Service Navy Place Quang Tri S. Vietnam Town of Record Joseph Unit H&S CO 3 BN 3 MARS 3 MAR DIV Death Code Hostile, Died; Guns, Small Arms Fire; Ground Casualty Hometown   service # 5960491 Panel 29EAST - 03 Married Single In Service 4 yrs Medals Purple Heart   Tour Date 15JUL67 Comment   Cemetery

Birth 08JUL45 Rank SFC Date of Death 01NOV67 P. of birth   Service Army Place Quang Nam S. Vietnam Town of Record Portland Unit 1st Cav Div C Co 2nd Bn 12th Cav Death Code Hostile, Died; Guns, Small Arms Fire; Ground Casualty Hometown   service # 19845368 Panel 29EAST - 04 Married Single In Service 2 yrs Medals Purple Heart  Tour Date 17MAR67 Comment   Cemetery

Birth 02APR41 Rank ADJ1 Date of Death 03NOV67 P. of birth   Service Navy Place Off Shore S. Vietnam Town of Record Melvindale MI Unit   Death Code Non-Hostile Air Loss, Crash at Sea; Fixed Wing - Crew Hometown   service # 5148874   Panel 29EAST - 17 Married Married In Service 8 yrs Medals   Tour Date   Comment   Cemetery Willamette National Cem., Portland OR

Birth 23JUL46 Rank CPL Date of Death 06NOV67 P. of birth Klamath Falls Service Marines Place Quang Nam S. Vietnam Town of Record Klamath Falls Unit H CO 2ND BN 5TH MARS Death Code Hostile, Died; Guns, Small Arms Fire; Ground Casualty Hometown   service # 2325565 Panel 29EAST - 29 Married Single In Service 1 yr Medals Navy Cross Purple Heart Tour Date 06MAR67 Comment   Cemetery   Klamath Union High School, Class of 1964, Klamath Falls OR - Boys' Alliance 1,2,3,4; Mathematics Club 4; Science Club 4; Spanish Club 2,3,4; Wrestling 3,4.

Parents Get Son's Medals. Klamath Falls The Parents of Marine Cpl. Jimmy E. Floren of Klamath Falls, Wednesday received the Navy Cross posthumously on behalf of their son. Floren was cited for extraordinary heroism during "Operation Essex" last 6 Nov (1967) in Vietnam. His parents, Mr. and Mrs. Axel E. Floren, were presented the Navy Cross during ceremonies Wednesday night. (The Oregonian, Portland OR, 28 Jun 1968

    WILLIAM GUY MUIR

Birth 30DEC44 Rank PFC Date of Death 11NOV67 P. of birth Portland Service Army (Draft) Place Kontum S. Vietnam Town of Record Eugene Unit 4th Inf Div B Co 3rd Bn 8th Inf Death Code Hostile, Died; Multiple Fragmentation Wounds Ground Casualty Hometown   service # 56932083 Panel 29EAST - 74 Married Single In Service   Medals Purple Heart  Tour Date 19SEP67 Comment   Cemetery

Birth 17SEP48 Rank PFC Date of Death 11NOV67 P. of birth   Service Army Place Dak To, South Vietnam Town of Record Portland Unit B Co 2nd Bn 502rd Inf  173rd Abn Bde Death Code Hostile, Died; Guns, Small Arms Fire; Ground Casualty Hometown   service # 18958038 Panel 29EAST - 93 Married Single In Service 1 yr Medals Purple Heart  Tour Date 06APR67 Comment   Cemetery Willamette National Cem., Portland OR

    LARUS WAYNE ROLAND

Birth 02MAR41 Rank WO Date of Death 14NOV67 P. of birth   Service Army (Reserve) Place Kontum S. Vietnam Town of Record Portland Unit 1st Avn Bde 170th Avn Co 52nd Avn Bn 17th Avn Grp Death Code Hostile, Died Wounds; Other Explosive Devices Ground Casualty Hometown   service # W3157413 Panel 29EAST - 97 Married Married In Service   Medals Purple Heart  Tour Date 26SEP67 Comment   Cemetery Willamette National Cem., Portland OR

Birth 29MAY45 Rank SP4 Date of Death 15NOV67 P. of birth   Service Army (Draft) Place Quang Nam S. Vietnam Town of Record Portland Unit 1st Cav Div C Co 1st Bn 7th Cav Death Code Hostile, Died; Guns, Small Arms Fire; Ground Casualty Hometown   service # 56927958 Panel 29EAST - 102 Married Married In Service 1 yr Medals Purple Heart  Tour Date 10MAY67 Comment   Cemetery

Birth 10SEP39 Rank CPT Date of Death 18NOV67 P. of birth   Service Army Place Kontum S. Vietnam Town of Record Portland Unit 173rd Abn Bde D Co 4th Bn 503rd Inf Death Code Hostile, Died; Multiple Fragmentation Wounds Ground Casualty Hometown   service # O95855 Panel 30EAST - 14 Married Married In Service 4 yrs Medals Purple Heart  Tour Date 30OCT67 Link Virtual Wall Cemetery Willamette National Cemetery Portland OR

Birth 09JUN47 Rank LCPL Date of Death 19NOV67 P. of birth   Service Marines Place Thua Thien S. Vietnam Town of Record Powers Unit 3RD MARDIV K CO 3RD BN 26TH MARINES Death Code Hostile, Died; Other Explosive Devices Ground Casualty Hometown   service # 2274969 Panel 30EAST - 33 Married Single In Service 1 yr Medals Purple Heart  Tour Date 25JAN67 Comment   Cemetery

Birth 07MAR44 Rank PFC Date of Death 21NOV67 P. of birth   Service Army (Draft) Place Binh Duong S. Vietnam Town of Record Toledo Unit 25th Inf Div D Co 1st Bn 27th Inf Death Code Hostile, Died; Guns, Small Arms Fire; Ground Casualty Hometown   service # 56932271 Panel 30EAST - 53 Married Single In Service   Medals Purple Heart  Tour Date 27OCT67 Comment   Cemetery

Birth 02JAN48 Rank CPL Date of Death 21NOV67 P. of birth California Service Army (Draft) Place Kien Tuong, S. Vietnam Town of Record Salem Unit 9th Inf Div, E Co, 2nd Bn, 39th Inf Death Code Hostile, Died; Multiple Fragmentation Wounds; Ground Casualty Hometown   service # 56932059 Panel 30EAST - 58 Married Single In Service   Medals Purple Heart  Tour Date 18SEP67 Comment   Cemetery Willamette National Cem., Portland OR

    JOHN ALAN MAC DONALD

Birth 01JAN48 Rank SP4 Date of Death 22NOV67 P. of birth   Service Army Place Binh Thuan S. Vietnam Town of Record Estacada Unit 1st Cav Div HHC 2nd Bn 7th Cav Death Code Hostile, Died; Guns, Small Arms Fire; Ground Casualty Hometown   service # 19881403 Panel 30EAST - 64 Married Single In Service 1 yr Medals Purple Heart  Tour Date 14MAY67 Comment   Cemetery

Birth 05FEB42 Rank MAJ Event Date 26NOV67 P. of birth   Service Air Force (Reserve) Place NZ N. Vietnam Town of Record Forest Grove Unit 390 TAC FTR SQD Death Code Hostile, Died Missing; Air Loss, Crash - Land Fixed Wing - Crew Hometown   service #   MIA ret. 01JUN92 - id 04JAN93 Married Married Declared Dead 22MAY79 Medals Purple Heart  Panel 30EAST-89 Comment   Cemetery Willamette National Cem., Portland OR

Birth 25DEC36 Rank 1LT Date of Death 27NOV67 P. of birth  Florence CO Service Army (Reserve) Place Quang Tin S. Vietnam Town of Record Cottage Grove Unit 4th Inf Div A Co 1st Bn 35th Inf Death Code Hostile, Died; Guns, Small Arms Fire; Ground Casualty Hometown   service # O2315688 Panel 30EAST - 99 Married Married In Service 12 yrs Medals Silver Star   Purple Heart Tour Date 12OCT67 Comment Cacti   Cemetery

Silver Star Given Widow. Cottage Grove A posthumous award of a Silver Star for gallantry of a Cottage Grove Army Officer, First Lt. Billie Sandefur, was presented recently in San Francisco to his widow, Grace, of Little River CA. Parents of Lt. Sandefur, Mr and Mrs. Bryson Sandefur, Cottage Grove, were present for the presentation. Lt. Sandefur was cited for exceptional gallantry in action as a platoon leader with Company A., 35th Infantry's First Battalion in Vietnam. Lt. Sandefur was mortally wounded in action while on combat operation with the Fourth Division unit on 27 Nov (1967), when he and his platoon came under heavy fire from an enemy force in bunkers and fortified trenches. The citation said that Sandefur unhesitatingly took the point position and manueuvered his troops to link up with an adjacent unit. Suddenly the platoon was confronted with enemy machine gun directly to their front. Directing the platoon to take cover, the lieutentent moved toward the position and neutralized it with a grenade. He had been married just two months when he was killed and had been in Vietnam less than one month. Lt. Sandefur, 30, was a graduate of Cottage Grove High School. He previously had received the Soldiers Medal for heroism and was credited with saving the lives of 8 men aboard a runaway truck. (The Oregonian, Portland OR )

Billie Sandefur Funeral Today A military funeral will be held at 10:30 a.m. today (Thursday) at Mills Mortuary in Cottage Grove for 1st Lt. Billie Sandefur, who was killed 27 Nov (1967) in Vietnam War action.
    Vault interment in West Lawn Memorial Park in Eugene will follow the funeral services.
    Sandefur, 30, died "from gunshot wounds received while on combat operations when engaged in hostile force firefight," according to Secretary of the Army telegrams received by his wife and parents last Thursday.
    Sandefur's parents are Mr. and Mrs. Bryson Sandefur, 1104 Main St., Cottage Grove. His wife Grace is from Little River CA. The couple had been married less than two months at the time of Sandefur's death.
    The Army telegrams failed to mention where Sandefur was killed. He apparently had been in Vietnam just 10 days at the time of his death. His mother said he left San Francisco 17 Nov (1967) for Cam Rahn Bay.
    From there he went to Pleiku, according to his letters home. Pleiku, according to Lt. Thomas Kingl, an Army escort in Cottage Grove to arrange the funeral, was Sandefur's base camp.
    However, Sandefur's last letter to his wife said he was in Dak To, scene of recent heavy combat engagements, en route to the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Vietnam.
    In the letter, he said it would be "a couple of weeks" before he could again write because he expected to be engaged in combat. He concluded the letter, postmarked 20 Nov (1967) by saying he had heard gunshots and was going to see if somebody was in trouble and need assistance.
    On one of his last visits to Cottage Grove in September, Sandefur told The Sentinel he expected to take over as commander of D Company, 51st Infantry upon arriving in Vietnam.
    At the time of his death, however, he was serving with A Company, 1st Battalion, 35th Infantry, 3rd Brigade of the 4th Infantry Division, said Lt. Kingl, who added that Sandefur probably was in a leadership position but couldn't confirm if he was commander.
    Sandefur was born on 25 Dec (1936 in Florence CO. After his family moved to Cottage Grove he attended eighth grade here and graduated from Cottage Grove High School in 1955. During his high school days he was active in football and track, said his mother.
    In 1954 when 17, he joined the local National Guard unit, In 1964 he went into the active reserves and was company commander at Fort Bragg CA, where he was a woods employee during the day.
    He was inactive for a year before being recalled to active Army duty last 10 Apr (1967). On 23 May, while on special assignment at Schofield Barracks Hawaii, Sandefur was credited with leaping into a driverless runaway truck carrying eight men and stopping it before it could cascade down a steep embankment.
    For his split second reactions, Sandefur was awarded the Soldiers Medal for heroism.
    Following his Hawaii tour of duty, Sandefur returned to Ft. Ord CA, and in September spent two weeks in special jungle warfare training in Panama before being assigned to Vietnam.
    He married the former Grace Barff on 30 Sep (1967) in Reno NV.
    When living in Cottage Grove, Sandefur was at one time a volunteer fireman and was associated with the Jaycees.
    Throughout his military career Sandefur attended numerous special training schools, including an airborne course at Fort Benning GA, in 1966; an Army special Warfare School NC in 1965; and an Army Cold Weather and Mountain School at Fort Greely AK, in 1962. He attended the latter school with the late Sandy Wiese of Cottage Grove.
    In 1963, he completed a National Guard Officer Candidate Course in Portland, at which time he was commissioned a reserve second lieutenant.
    In addition to his wife and parents, survivors include a brother, Spec. 4 Henry Sandefur, with the Army in Thailand; three sisters, Mrs. Thomas (Neida) Bridges of Cottage Grove and the Misses Barbara Sandefur and Sandra Sandefur of Seattle; grandparents, Mrs. Mertie Sandefur of Florence CO, and Mr. and Mrs. Wilmot Ellcott of Hugoton KS; his wife's parents, Mr. and Mrs. George Barff of Little River CA; nephews Mike and Darren Bridges and niece Joan Bridges of Cottage Grove and several other relatives.
    Roy Stedman will officiate at the funeral services. (Cottage Grove Sentinel, Cottage Grove OR, Thursday, 7 Dec 1967) Thank you Oregon Genealogical Society

    DANIEL SCOTT STEELE

Birth 20DEC47 Rank WO Date of Death 29NOV67 P. of birth   Service Army (Reserve) Place Off Shore Military Reg 1 S. Vietnam Town of Record Redmond Unit Americal Div A Co 123rd Aviation Bn Death Code Hostile, Died Missing; Air Loss, Crash - Sea Helicopter - Pilot Hometown   service # W3157419 Panel 31EAST - 07 Married Married In Service   Medals Purple Heart  Tour Date 16OCT67 Comment   Cemetery