Charles F. Thomas IV

Captain

WKU Class of 1968

Deceased April 1971

Killed in action in the Republic of Vietnam

He was a member of the 3/319 Field Artillery assigned to the 173d Airborne Brigade

At the time of his death he was an artillery liaison officer with an infantry battalion in the brigade

His compound came under a mortar attack during the night and CPT Thomas left the relative security of his hooch and raced across an open area of the compound to rally the troops and organize his howitzers into firing counterbattery fires Just short of reaching his guns he was mortally wounded by enemy mortar round