Lake Charles Louisiana

Jack Lee Croxdale II from Lake Charles, Louisiana, Calcasieu county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Sunday, November 19, 1967

Death details: On November 19, 1967, elements of the 503rd Infantry Regiment were participating in a search and destroy mission in South Vietnam. During the mission, the U.S. troops were attacked and surrounded by North Vietnamese forces, and suffered a number of casualties. Many of the wounded men were taken to the command post set up by Company C of the 503rd Infantry. As the fighting continued, an enemy bomb hit the command post, resulting in additional casualties. Three soldiers from Company C were among them, and a search of the command post’s rubble the following day was unable to recover their remains. They were presumed to have died in the command post, either from their wounds or in the explosion when it was hit.

Specialist 4 Jack Lee Croxdale II entered the U.S. Army from Louisiana and was a radio operator with Company C, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade. He was last seen wounded in the Company C command post area before the explosion occurred and went missing following the blast. Search efforts have not recovered his remains. Today, Specialist 4 Croxdale is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency