Captain Terry Cordell was the first American officer to fall in Vietnam, and 58,000 American servicemen followed him, to include 76 known Citadel alumni. Four of our alumni earned the Distinguished Service Cross and 1 earned the Navy Cross; all for “extraordinary heroism”. Most of the list below are graduates, all of whom died on or near the field of battle as a result of hostile action, wounds, or illness in the battle zone. Alumni are constantly being researched and listed as we discover their names. If you have additional information on those Citadel alumni who may have met the same fate as those listed below, please provide all information so their sacrifice is recognized.
When visiting the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, DC, the panel and row (listed below) may be used to locate the name of that particular Citadel alumnus.
Credits to Mike Stannard, ’65 for his research on this page.