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Last Rank
Lance Corporal
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Last Primary MOS
0311-Rifleman
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Last MOSGroup
Infantry
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Previously Held MOS
0300-Basic Infantryman
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Last Unit
1968-1968, 0300, 1st Bn (1/7)/D Co
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Service Years
1966 - 1968
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State of Birth
Oklahoma | |
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Year of Birth
1948 |
Home Town
Not Specified |
Last Address
Oklahoma City
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Casualty Date
Sep 11, 1968 |
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Cause
Hostile, Died of Wounds |
Reason
Gun, Small Arms Fire |
Location
Quang Nam |
Conflict
Vietnam |
Location of Interment
Not Specified |
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Last Known Activity
Jerry Don Copeland
Lance Corporal
PERSONAL DATA
Home of Record: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Date of birth: Tuesday, 04/06/1948
MILITARY DATA
Service: Marine Corps (Regular)
Grade at loss: E3
Rank: Lance Corporal
ID No: 2257620
MOS: 0311 Rifleman
LenSvc: Between 2 and 3 years
Unit: D CO, 1ST BN, 7TH MARINES, 1ST MARDIV
CASUALTY DATA
Start Tour: Friday, 05/31/1968
Cas Date: Wednesday, 09/11/1968
Age at Loss: 20
Remains: Body recovered
Location: Quang Nam, South Vietnam
Type: Hostile, died of wounds
Reason: Gun or small arms fire - Ground casualty
ON THE WALL Panel 44W Line 022
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Comments/Citation
LCPL - E3 - Marine Corps - Regular Length of service 2 years His tour began on May 31, 1968 Casualty was on Sep 11, 1968 In QUANG NAM, SOUTH VIETNAM Hostile, died of wounds, GROUND CASUALTY GUN, SMALL ARMS FIRE Body was recovered Panel 44W - Line 22
18 May 2007
I remember him well. We went to Vietnam together, spent time in the same bunker on the line on Hill 10. His nickname was "Gunny". We served in Hawaii, as MP's at Kaneohe MCAS, together. We were stationed there together because we had all (about 50 of us) been sent there as replacements for the First Marine Brigade - but somebody miscounted and they were full when we arrived, so we cut weeds on the rifle range for a few weeks, then the powers that were decided we needed to be Military Police. Then after Tet, around the middle of March, just after Martin Luther King was shot (and that was another adventure for the MP's) we all got orders to Vietnam, since we were almost all 0311's.
Jerry Copeland was a good guy, an aspiring great Marine, and the world is worse off because he's gone. I heard he was attempting to do something heroic when he was shot. He was a hero of the highest caliber having given his life under circumstances that were far too ordinary at the time. I miss him, I hardly knew him....
Gordon H.
Sgt, 1966-1969
Co. C, 1st Bn, 7th Marines
gdhowe58@gmail.com
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