7th Battalion, 15th Field Artillery - Vietnam War Scroll of Honor

LAVERNE D COYLE inscription on The Wall in Washington DC

Close up of THE WALL in Washington, DC
Photo: Paul Hunter

SMAJ Coyle at LZ Uplift with LTC Simpson in 1968

SMAJ Coyle (right)
with LTC Simpson
at LZ Uplift in 1968
Photo: LTC Simpson

[1970 article]

SMAJ Coyle was killed in a December 1970
helicopter crash at the Mang Yang Pass.
SMAJ Coyle was serving his 2nd
tour of duty with the 7/15th
in the Vietnam War.

Three other men from the 7/15th perished
that day with SMAJ Coyle:
LTC Penn, CWO Crayne, and WO Sellett

"I gave my life for freedom --this I know:
for those who bade me fight had told me so."
W. N. EWER

*7th Battalion, 15th Field Artillery*
ALLONS Vietnam War SCROLL OF HONOR
DATE OF DEATH AGE	NAME, RANK LOCATION ON THE WALL	HOME OF RECORD MOS PROVINCE OF DEATH
2/2/68 19	Timothy Lee White, SP4 Panel 37E, Row 2	Bloomington, IL 13A10 Binh Dinh
2/19/68 20	William Clayton Shumate, PVT Panel 40E, Row 31 Photo	Decatur, GA 36K20 Binh Dinh
2/20/68 27	Nicolas Ligammari, SP4 Panel 40E, Row 43	Jamestown, NY 36K20 Binh Dinh
3/1/68 37	Stephen Thomas Kucas, FSGT Panel 42E, Row 19	State College, PA 13Z50 Binh Duong
4/21/68 23	Hiawatha Hicks, SP4 Panel 51E, Row 20	Grand Rapids, MI 73C20 Binh Dinh
7/7/68 18	Russell Dean Wake, PFC Panel 53W, Row 40	Springfield, MO 63A10 Binh Dinh
8/24/69 20	Gary Alan Ohman, 2LT Panel 19W, Row 108	Minneapolis, MN 1193 Binh Dinh
9/21/69 20	Charles Hawkins Beare, PFC Panel 18W, Row 118 Photo	Joiner, AR 82C10 Binh Dinh
11/10/69 18	Earl Thomas Pearson, Jr., PFC Panel 16W, Row 54 Photo	Maywood, IL 13A10 Pleiku
12/1/70 40	Laverne Darton Coyle, SMAJ Panel 6W, Row 101 Photo (on right side)	Franklinton, LA 00Z50 Binh Dinh
12/1/70 37	Kenneth Eugene Crayne, CWO Panel 6W, Row 101	Omaha, NE 711AG Binh Dinh
12/1/70 42	Raymond Bishop Penn, Jr., LTC Panel 6W, Row 102 Photo	Pittsburgh, PA 1193 Binh Dinh
12/1/70 23	Stephen Charles Sellett, WO Panel 6W, Row 102	Sterling, IL 100B Binh Dinh
3/2/71 MIA (20)	Deland Dwight Zubke, SSGT Panel 4W, Row 17	Grassy Butte, ND 05C30 Kontum
5/9/71 21	Ronald Lee Doolittle, SP4 Panel 3W, Row 27 Photo	Saginaw, OR 13A10 Kontum
5/28/71 34	Robert Lee Brown, SP5 Panel 3W, Row 57 Photo	Lowman, NY 63C20 Pleiku
6/4/71 21	Rey F. Torres-Ramos, SP4 Panel 3W, Row 66	Hato Rey, P.R. 94A10 Pleiku
6/13/71 24	Richard Joseph Gray, 1LT Panel 3W, Row 74 Remembrance	Salem, MA 1193 Pleiku
8/1/71 31	Tommy Mike McCleer, SFC Panel 3W, Row 120	Carpentersville, IL 13B40 Binh Dinh

Also, approximately 200 men from the 7th Battalion,
15th Field Artillery were wounded in action (WIA)
during the Vietnam War.

If you served with the men listed above, or knew them, you are encouraged to leave a remembrance at The Virtual Wall. This is the internet version of THE WALL in Washington, DC. Also, please contact Dan Gillotti the 15th Historian if you have a photo of one of the men listed above.

Remembrance of 1LT Richard Joseph Gray

The following poem was presented by
soldier-poet Nolan Putman at the 2001
15th Reunion at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma
during the memorial service.
Written in August of 2000

Nolan Putman

First name, line 74, panel 3 West under an empty sky
I approach it, I touch it and I cry

MEMORY
By Nolan Putman

The memories are recalled time and time again
About the friendship that was formed way back then

A friendship created amid the mud and dirt
When recalled makes my mind wonder and heart hurt

There is a spot in the heart for him
But after all these years the features of his face have grown dim

The sound of his voice is forever gone
Such a reality leaves me feeling empty and alone

First name, line 74, panel 3 West under an empty sky
I approach it, I touch it and I cry

Then I realize what is important to me
It is not the face, the voice or even the name - it is the memory

That special friendship was between Richard and me
A good example of the bonds formed in 7th of 15th Artillery