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Charles Ray Crim
Staff Sergeant
B CO, 1ST BN, 5TH INFANTRY, 25TH INF DIV, USARV Army of the United States San Angelo, Texas December 30, 1938 to August 03, 1968 CHARLES R CRIM is on the Wall at Panel W49, Line 6 |
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Charles was born and raised in San Angelo, Texas. He was the 4th child of six and oldest son born to Charles Crim and Lula Thunderburk. He attended rural San Angelo schools and last attended San Angelo Lakeview High School. He dropped out his junior year and joined the Army in 1957. He was trained in infantry. He did stateside assignments all over and overseas tours in Germany and Korea. He was a squad leader with B Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Mechanized Infantry (Bobcats) and was in his last week of his one year tour when he was killed by friendly fire from a rocket displaced from a helicopter during hostile action in the Michelin Rubber Plantation. Five others were wounded. He was posthumously promoted to Staff Sergeant. He was survived by his wife, four sisters and one brother and his three children. He was buried with full military honors in San Angelo, Texas at the Lawnhaven Cemetery. His parents are now deceased as well as two sisters. May his sacrifice not be forgotten. He is remembered by the Concho Valley Vietnam Memorial in San Angelo and by the Permian Basin Vietnam Veterans' Memorial located in Midland, Texas.
From a PBVVM representative, |
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I never had a chance to know my great uncle Charles but my granny, his oldest sister Dorothy, always told me about him and through those stories I have so much respect for his service to our country. May he be at peace and he will always be remembered as our family's hero.
From his great-niece, |
A Note from The Virtual WallThe 5th Infantry History contains the following entry:"On August 03, 1968, Company B was conducting a sweep in the eastern portion of the Michelin Rubber Plantation. Contact was made and the VC took shelter in a village. Company A was dispatched to reinforce Company B. At 0915 hours, the village was evacuated with the help of a loudspeaker helicopter. One of the villagers stated that there were still 100 VC in the village. CS [tear gas] was dropped on the village and a LFT [light fire team , i.e., helo gunships] was called in. At 0958 hours, a dust-off was requested. One of the LFT helicopters had fired a rocket that exploded on Company B soldiers. One Bobcat was killed and five were wounded. Also wounded by the rocket blast were one engineer and one Vietnamese civilian." Photo courtesy of Denise Schkade and Janie McWilliams |
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