We
Are ... 228 Men
We have compiled an unofficial roster of those who served in the LRRP of the
2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division between 1966-1969. We are reasonably sure
that there were at least 228 men who served in the Second Brigade LRRP. There
are a few other men who we think were with us but have no records to prove
so.
A definitive count is very difficult. There are no centralized official Army records indicating LRRP unit assignments. Soldiers were detached from host units as they came and went from the LRRP. It was amazing that any of us were paid much less promoted. This list is a stitched together list from recollections, letters, order fragments and other sources. If you can offer any improvement in accuracy ... please send an email to Mike Lapolla (lapolla@swbell.net).
These men operated in the Ia Drang Valley of the Central Highlands. Our home was the Oasis Base Camp west of Pleiku. The LRRPs preceded the reactivation of the 75th Ranger Regiment - we were truly "Vietnam's First Rangers".
This
List
The listings are in alphabetical order, without rank, by initial year of LRRP
service. For those KIA, they are listed in red
by rank, full name, date of death, and their location on Vietnam Veteran's
Memorial is indicated by panel and row.
Late
1966 - Early 1967
SGT Ronald Joseph Bonert (6/14/67: 21E100) -
SFC Charles Jackson Britt (3/30/72: 2W124) -
William Branson - Ray Cabaceros - Frank Camper - Ronald Coon - Dan Davis -
Sp4 Diamond - Charles Dove - John Griswold - SP4
Daniel Lee Harmon (6/2/67: 21E34)
- Thomas Harris - James Hart - Male Hatchett - Camet Hawthorne - Roger Hill
- James Huebner - Charles Keough - Michael Lapolla - Wayne Littlejohn - Bill
Mask - Ron Norton - James Pack - Anthony Padilla - John Sanderson - NFN Seals
- Harry Schreiner - Wilford Snake - Ronald Speck - William Steffens - Cornelius
Struthers - Sherman Tilley - James Umberger - Houston Whitlock - Lawrence
Willey - (35)
1967
- 1968
NFN Allen - Steve Anderson - NFN Batro - Joe Blackwell - James Bradley - Dean
Bridges - Albert L. Brown - Ebon Chue - Isaiah Clark - James Clarke - Daniel
Conti - William Corbitt - Michael Courtney - Robert Crawford - Gary Crowder
- Larry Curfman - Joseph Deluca - Charles Dintleman - Roy Dixon - Apolonia
Enriquez - Douglas Flowers - Kevin Flaherty - John Fournier - Vernon Francis
- Thomas Garnett, Jr. - Marshall Girard - John Gibson - James Jiles - Irsbaldy
Jusino - Robert Goodin - Robert Gould - Jack Hall - Paul Halverson - Duane
Hart - John Hill - NFN Huxtable - Tom Jarvis - PFC Robert
Lee Johnson (8/1/67: 24E61) - Duane Jones - Rodger Lamkin - Lloyd Lee
- James Lemon - James Leone - PFC Richmond Ross Luce
(5/29/67: 21E14) - Donald Lunley - Jack McFarland - James McGrew -
Charles Mathews - Murphy Mitchell - Clarence Moton - Chester Mundy - Russell
Oliver - Carl Plummer - John Powers - NFN Rilley - Jimmy Roberts - Gary Robinson
- William Rogers - David Savage - Richard Shaner - NFN Shin - Merrill Shrover
- Marvin L. Sinclair - Robert Smyers - Phillip Stafford - Charles Thieme -
Robert Thomas - Charles Thompson - Dennis Thunander - James Trimble - Lewis
Vess - Terry M. Wade - Malan West - Jim Winkler - Larry Wurtz - (75)
1968
- 1969
SP4 Dennis Lynn Ahrendsen (9/6/68: 45W47) - Walter
Austin - SFC Armin Jochaim Blake (3/22/69: 28W8)
- John Beckett - Gregory Burtness - Rick Clyburn - Lonnie Colbray - Donald
Connaville - Richard Cope - Donald Courtney -Jim Cunningham - SGT
Ralph Gerard Dunn (2/16/69: 32W43)
- Bradley
Finch - SSGT Dickie Waine Finley (MIA 10/21/68: 40W11)
- Arthur Flores - Merle E. Freed - Thomas Fretwell - Dennis Gemberling - SP4
Luther Anderson Ghahate (10/21/68: 40W12) - Marshall Gerard - Sherwood
Hall - SGT Gerald Quinn Hancock (2/16/69: 32W43)
- Mark Hapsis - Clyde Hinkle - Barry Hoehn - NFN Hoy - Robert Hullinger -
SP4 Joseph John Kull, Jr (9/6/68: 45W54) - SGT
Michael Eugene Lawton (12/1/68: 37W17) - Stephan Lockhard - NFN Luckadew
- Larry McJenkins - Bob
Madej - Larry
Massoletti - Edward Mateer - Ken Mayle - Robert McCarthy - CPL
Hugh Rufus McKinney (2/16/69: 32W45)
- G.
Miller - Don Melanson - John Miller - Reynolds Moreland - David Morgan - Keith
Naccarato - Ronald C. Neugard - Luther Newby - Rick Noble - Bernard Pisarcik
- Robert Plaskett - Cliff Popay - Nick Posdniakoff - Tom Reed - SP4
Jack Lee Rightmeyer (2/16/69: 32W46)
- Thomas
Schadegg - James Sommer - William Stacey - Robert Stack - SP5
Joseph John Steimbach (4/12/68: 49E36) - William Steir - Harry Sweeney
- Noble Taylor II - CPL William Arthur Thompson (7/12/68
52W20) - David Texiera - Hector Torres - Leonard Valeen - Richard Wilson
- James Wright - Theodore Yasui -
James L. Zvonar (68)
To
Mid 1969
NFN Baltes - Jerry Barker - Dolores Barreto - Raymond Barrio - NFN Belton
- Mike Bernitt - Mike Browning - Steve Corey - Anthony Dennis - Steve Deporter
- Ernie
Eidem - John
Elliot - Bob Fraser - Warren Gallion - NFN Garcia - David Ham - NFN Hammack
- Chuck Harubin - SGT Steve Hathaway (6/23/69: 22W119)
- SGT
Kenneth Charles Hess (2/8/69: 33W89)
- NFN Holton - Dennis Hopfinger - NFN
Hopper - Bob Howard - NFN Howell - PFC
Nathaniel Irving (2/8/69: 33W86)
- NFN Kozieja - Peter Kurtz - Jerry Lichnovsky - SP4
Craig John Loftus (1/9/69: 35W62)
- Gary Lucas - Ray McFarr - John
Mawhinny - Jeremiah Melle - Alfred Nesbitt - Clinton Newman - NFN Nicholas
- NFN Olague - Julian Plant - Ken Pollitt - NFN Quinterro - Jake
Rakauskas - David Ravegum - NFN
Rogers - Mike Simms - John Slattery - Steve Smock - George Street - James
Testerman - NFN Webb - NFN White - Richard Williams - Randy
Windstein - SP4
Todd Louis Wood (1/9/69: 35W62)
- John Yarosz (55)
Since Mid 1969 (KIA Only)
During this period the 2nd Brigade LRRP was transitioning to the 75th Ranger
Regiment. This website is not tracking all members of the 75th since mid-1969.
However we are honoring those who were KIA after that date. They are below:
CPL Frank William Humes (7/8/69: 21W83) - PFC Dennis Michael Belonger (7/19/69:
20W17) - SGT Wallate Fred Thibodeau (7/19/69: 20W23) - SP4 Raymond Page Johnson
(8/9/69: 20W118) - PFC Lonnie Lowell Gibson (9/28/69: 17W16) - CPL Eddie Dean
Carpenter (11/13/69: 16W69) - SGT Luis A N Hilerio-Padilla (11/13/69: 16W69)
- PFC Robert John Silva (11/27/69: 16W127) - SP4 Kenneth James Smolarek (11/27/69:
16W128) - SGT Michael William Lynne (1/7/70: 14W8) - SP4 La Roy Frederich
Roth (1/7/70: 14W9) - SP4 Charles Willard Jr. (11/11/69: 14W10) - SSGT William
Bartholomew (1/23/70: 14W60) - SP4 Dean Allen Borneman (11/23/70: 14W58) -
SGT Luther James Doss Jr. (4/30/70: 11W72) - SP4 Frank Edward McClellan 6/4/70:
9W8) - SP4 Earl David Broach (8/3/70: 8W78) - PFC Elevio Alfred Gomez (8/19/70:
8W124) - Sp4 Antonio Ambrosio Grau (8/30/70: 7W24) - SSGT William Eugene Roller
(9/7/70: 7W45) - CPL Frank Harold Miller Jr. (9/19/70: 7W74) - SP4 Roy Christopher
Olgyay (9/19/70: 7W74) - SSGT Robert Wilber Toler, Jr. (12/5/70: 6W109) -
SGT James Bruce McLaughlin (4/16/71: 4W129) - PFC Donald Edward LaRue (9/16/71:
2W17)
Need First Names (NFN) & Service Year: Cates - Conrad - Goul - Holloway - McGill - Payne -Streeter
Need Service Year & Confirmation: Robert Bizart - Jerry Garrison - Donald Richardson