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George Richard Henson
Staff Sergeant
D CO, 17TH INFANTRY, ARMY SPT CMD CAM RANH BAY, 1ST LOG CMD, USARV Army of the United States San Angelo, Texas August 28, 1944 to June 23, 1972 GEORGE R HENSON is on the Wall at Panel W1, Line 48 |
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George Richard Henson was a native of San Angelo, Texas. He was a 1962 graduate of San Angelo Central High School. He was a career soldier and had spent a previous tour in Vietnam with the First Infantry Division. He was a gun chief for artillery. He began his second tour in November 17, 1971 and was assigned as a platoon sergeant with D Company, 17th Infantry Regiment. He and another soldier were killed in an accident on June 23, 1972. May his sacrifice never be forgotten. He is honored by the Tom Green County Vietnam Memorial in San Angelo and by the
Permian Basin Vietnam Veterans' Memorial
in Midland, Texas.
19 May 2007 After researching George and receiving a copy of his DA Form 20 under the FOIA, I found that George was born in Hastings, Nebraska while his father was serving in the military during World War II. The family was originally from Comanche, Texas. George grew up in Comanche and in San Angelo where he dropped out of high school in 1962 and enlisted in the Army. He obtained a GED in 1965. He was trained as a medical specialist and medic at Fort Sam Houston. He did two different tours in the Panama Canal Zone (one at Fort Gulick and another at Fort Knoppe), a one year tour in Korea in 1963, served at Fort Sill, Oklahoma as an instructor at the Artillery School. He completed three tours in Vietnam with one six month extension, serving as a medic, gun chief with the 12th Artillery Group and with the 33rd Artillery Group, 1st Infantry Division. He served nine months as an infantry light arms instructor with the 1st Infantry Division and as an advisor/small weapons instructor with MAC-V and earned his Combat Infantryman's Badge. He returned to Vietnam for his fourth tour as a gun chief with the 320th Artillery Group under the 101st Airborne Division and then was assigned as an infantry platoon sergeant with Company D, 17th Infantry Regiment, 12th Aviation Group under the operational control of the 1st Log Command. His unit was providing security for the 1st Log Command facilities at Pleiku. He was killed in an accident in which a grenade exploded. He and another soldier were immediately killed and another soldier died the following day. At the time of his death, he had credited service for 49 months in Vietnam. He is buried at the Newburg Cemetery near Comanche, Texas.
From a PBVVM representative, |
A Note from The Virtual WallDelta Company (Rifle Security), 17th Infantry, was a separate guard company assigned to the Army Support Command Cam Ranh Bay. The accident on 23 June 1972 actually caused three deaths, two immediately and one "died of injuries" on the following day:
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