Richard Warren Pershing
Second Lieutenant
A CO, 1ST BN, 502ND INFANTRY, 101ST ABN DIV, USARV
Army of the United States
New York, New York
October 25, 1942 to February 17, 1968
RICHARD W PERSHING is on the Wall at Panel 39E, Line 76

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Richard W Pershing
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Attached are photos of Richard Warren Pershing to post on his memorial page. One of them is Pershing's graduation photo from Airborne Training showing as heading in news clipping reporting his death

- - Mike Lopez, December 12, 2012.

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The grandson of General of the Armies John Joseph Pershing, Richard Warren Pershing was born in New York City on October 25, 1942.

His father, F. Warren Pershing, was a partner in Pershing & Co, stockbrokers. His grandfather, who commanded the American Expeditionary Force in World War I, died in 1948 at age 88. His grandmother died in 1916. He was engaged to be married 6 months before he was killed.

He was a graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy and Yale College, where he was member of Skull and Bones, an undergraduate secret honors society. He completed training at Fort Benning, Georgia just before his engagement.

Senator Francis E. Warren of Wyoming (Medal of Honor, in the Civil War) was his great grandfather.

One of the many news clippings from the time of his death reported: "The 25-year-old grandson of John J. Pershing was killed-in-action in Vietnam on February 17, 1968, his parents reported yesterday. News of his death was carried to his home at 771 Park Avenue in New York on Sunday (February 18, 1968) by a special representative of the Secretary of Army. He went to Vietnam last December 13 with the 101st Airborne Division, and died February 17 from what the official telegram of notification described as 'wounds received while on a combat mission when his unit came under hostile small-arms and rocket attack while searching for remains of a missing member of his unit.'"

Below are several more newspaper notifications of his death as well as the report on his funeral services before interment in Arlington.

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The official report submitted for the period shows the following entry: OPERATION JEB STUART (1st Cavalry Division). The 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) with ten infantry battalions continued search and destroy operations in Quang Tri and Thua Thien provinces with significant contact.

At 0950 hours on the morning of the 17th of February, Company A, 1st Battion, 502nd Airborne at grid YD 447445 received B-40 fire from an unknown number of enemy. Gunships and artillery were used to support the contact, which terminated at 171312 (Approximately 3 1/2 hours of fighting). During the contact, three US Army personnel were killed in action (the 3 men killed, part of a patrol, were attempting to locate and retrieve the remains of missing soldiers) and ten USA were wounded in action and evacuated.

At 171310, B Troup, 1st Squadron, 6th Cavalry, while conductng a sweep of the area at YD 433618, found 12 NVA bodies and eight weapons. In 18 small and scattered incidents, 19 enemy were KIA, 14 added bodies were found, and two USA were wounded and evacuated.

In support of OPERATION Jeb Stuart, USAF fixed wing aircraft flew 12 sorties. Naval gunfire support consisted of nine missions expended 254 rounds. Results (Daily/Cumulative) were USA: 3/114 KIA; 12/711 WIA; Enemy: 35/1375 Confirmed KIA; 0/23 NVA POW; 1/103 Detainees; and 9/234 weapons captured.

The three men killed during the fighting were:

Below is photo of 2LT Richard W Pershing's cemetery marker at Arlington National Cemetery. On the back side of his marker is the name of his brother, Colonel John W Pershing who buried Richard in 1968 and was buried with him when he passed away in 1999. Photos courtesy of Arlington National Cemetery. Read more about Richard W Pershing and John W Pershing.

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Below is photo of grave markers for General of the Armies John J Pershing (left) and 2Lt Richard W Pershing (right) and Col John W Pershing (Richard's brother).

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