Palestine High School Alumni Association

00 / 00 / 0000  –  03 / 01 / 1968

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Corporal Roger Allen Thompson, 19, has died from wounds received in combat in Vietnam, according to word received by his mother, Mrs. W. H. Petty of Route 1, Palestine. He is the seventh Anderson County serviceman to die in that war.

Mrs. Petty received notification yesterday that her son died March 1 at the station hospital in Da Nang as a result of fragmentation wounds sustained to the head from hostile mortar fire while on an operation in the vicinity of Quang Tri.

Corporal Thompson, who had entered the Marine Corps as a volunteer on April 11, 1966, had been in Vietnam since last September.

Prior to entering service, he had attended Palestine High School. He was a member of the First Baptist Church here.

Funeral arrangements are pending return of the body here and will be announced later by Hassell & Foster Funeral Home.

In addition to his mother, Corporal Thompson is survived by his father, William W. Thompson of Granada, Mississippi; two brothers, Billy Michael Thompson of Winona, Mississippi, and John Mark Thompson of Palestine; his grandmother, Mrs. A. F. Watts of Palestine. He was a nephew of Mr. and Mrs. H. L. Knight of Palestine.

Source: Palestine Herald-Press 03-07-1968

As a member of the Marine Corps, Lance Corporal Thompson served our country until March 1st, 1968 in Quang Tri, South Vietnam. He was 19 years old and was not married. Roger died from artillery fire. His body was recovered. Roger was born on May 2nd, 1948 in Palestine, Texas.

LCPL Thompson is on panel 42E, line 025 of the Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington D.C. He served our country for one year.

Source: The Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington D.C. was built to honor the unfortunate children of this country who never returned from the travesties of Vietnam. We built our online database and this page for the same reason.

05 / 02 / 1948  –  03 / 01 / 1968

Survived by parents William W. Thompson and Ida Bess Hester

MILITARY DATA
Service: United States Marine Corps
Grade at loss: E3
Rank: Lance Corporal
ID No: 2271362
MOS: 1833: Assault Amphibious Vehicle Crewman
Length Service: 01
Unit: 4TH PLT, B CO, 1ST AMTRAC BN, 3RD MARDIV, III MAF

CASUALTY DATA
Start Tour: 09/24/1967
Incident Date: 03/01/1968
Casualty Date: 03/01/1968
Age at Loss: 19
Location: Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam
Remains: Body recovered
Casualty Type: Hostile, died of wounds
Casualty Reason: Ground casualty
Casualty Detail: Artillery, rocket, or mortar

ON THE WALL Panel 42E Line 025
Burial Roselawn Park Cemetery, Palestine, Texas

Source Findagrave.com