Charles Harold Perkins (1934 - 1968)

Born 22 Sep 1934 in Bronx, New York City, New York, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Patricia Agnes (Clancy) Perkins — married [date unknown] (to Jul 1966) in California, United States

Died 17 May 1968 at age 33 in Quảng Trị, Vietnam

Biography

Gunnery Sergeant Charles Perkins was Killed in Action in Vietnam during The Vietnam War.

GySgt Charles Perkins served in the United States Marine Corps in the Vietnam War
Service started: 17 Jan 1968
Unit(s): 3rd Marine Division
Service ended: 17 May 1968

CHARLES HAROLD "CHUCK" PERKINS, resident of New York, New York, was born 22 Sep 1934 in Bronx, New York City,^[1] the son of Mr. Charles P. Perkins.^[2] Charles was wounded by hostile gunfire on 28 Mar 1968 in Quảng Trị Province, Vietnam. He was evacuated to USN Hospital Ship USS Repose, where he died from his wounds on 17 May 1968, having served his country for 12 years.^[2] Charles is buried at Bellevue Memorial Park in Ontario, San Bernardino Co., California.^[2][3]

Charles was enumerated on the 1940 US Census with his family in New York (Bronx), New York. The household included: Charles Sr. 47, Helen 28, Charles 5, Mary 4, James 3, and Arthur 1.^[4]

Charles married Patricia Clancy, daughter of Guy Clancy of Ontario, California.^[2] Charles and Patricia divorced in Jul 1966 in San Diego, California^[5] and Patricia died in 1967.^[3] At the time of his death, Charles was engaged to be married to a woman named Barbara.^[3][6]

From Find A Grave:

During the month of March the Battalion was participating in Operation SCOTLAND II in the vicinity of Khe Sanh in northern Quang Tri Province. Co. K was providing the defense of Hill 861 and on 28 Mar, GySgt Perkins was wounded by hostile rifle fire while engaged with the enemy. Evacuated to the USN Hospital Ship the USS Repose for treatment, he subsequently died on May 17 from the wounds he has sustained.^[3]

AWARDS RECEIVED

Individual: Purple Heart, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal,^[2] Combat Action Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal; Unit: Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation, Vietnam Civil Actions Unit Citation.^[7]

Posted on VirtualWall.org:

Hills 861, 881 North, and 881 South formed the mountain complex immediately northwest of the Khe Sanh Combat Base and were the scene of the famous "Hill Fights' in 1967. While the Commanding General, 3rd Marine Amphibious Force, didn't wish to hold Khe Sanh, his superior (Army General Westmoreland, Commander Military Assistance Command Vietnam) did want to hold the Khe Sanh area in hopes of drawing the North Vietnamese Army into a set-piece battle which would - in Westmoreland's view - lead to destruction of the NVA forces.

This divergence of strategic objectives led to a peculiar situation throughout 1967 - the Marines would clear the 861/881 hill complex and withdraw, whereupon the NVA would reoccupy the hills and the cycle would repeat. Toward the end of 1967 CG 3rd MAF was decisively overruled, a decision which led to the well-known siege of Khe Sanh. By the time CG 3rd MAF abandoned his plan to withdraw from the Khe Sanh Combat Base the NVA were in place to force the battle that General Westmoreland wanted.

It was in this context - the NVA determined to besiege Khe Sanh in hopes of a Dien Bien Phu-like debacle, Westmoreland equally determined to pin and destroy the surrounding NVA forces by use of air and artillery - that the second round of fierce battles began in late 1967 and early 1968 ... and once again Hills 861, 881N, and 881S became contested ground.

When the storm broke on the night of 20/21 January 1968 Kilo 3/26 was defending the high ground on Hill 861. Just after midnight Kilo 3/26 was attacked from the northwest - the side of Hill 861 facing away from the artillery emplaced at Khe Sanh. By the time the NVA withdrew at dawn, Kilo 3/26 had 4 dead and 11 wounded - and the battle of Khe Sanh had begun in earnest.

Since Kilo 3/26 was the first unit hit in the NVA's Khe Sahn offensive and remained heavily involved throughout the siege, Gunnery Sergeant Perkins could have been wounded at any time on or after 21 January 1968. One report indicates he was wounded nearly two months before his death - that is, in the last half of February. What is clear is that he was involved in some of the heaviest fighting of the Vietnam War.

Gunnery Sergeant Perkins was a career Marine and no doubt earned decorations and awards beyond those shown at the top of this memorial - but The Virtual Wall has no way to identify them and can display only those we know he received by virtue of his known service in Vietnam.^[8]

MILITARY SERVICE^[9]

Full Name: Perkins, Charles Harold

Rank: Gunnery Sergeant

Grade: E7

Specialty: Infantry Unit Leader (USMC)

Residence: New York, NY

Race: Caucasian

Religion: Roman Catholic

Marital Status: Single

Gender: Male

Date Of Birth: 22 Sep 1934

Tour Start Date: 17 Jan 1968

Death Date: 17 May 1968

Age: 33

Casualty Type: Hostile, Died of Wounds

Died Of: Gun, Small Arms Fire

Ground Air Sea: Ground Casualty

Body Recovery: Recovered

Place: South Vietnam

Service: Marine Corps

Enlistment Type: Regular

Years Served: 12

Major Command: 3rd Mar Div

Company: K Co

Battalion: 3rd Bn

Regiment: 26th Marines

Panel: 62E

Line: 9

Conflict Period: Vietnam War

Served For: United States of America

Sources

1. ↑ Ancestry.com. New York, New York, Birth Index, 1910-1965, [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2017: DOB 22 Sep 1934 in Bronx, NY, cert #11981.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4} CoffeltDatabase.org - profile of Charles Harold Perkins, including DD1300 and headstone photo.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3} Find A Grave, database and images: accessed 19 Feb 2019, GYSGT Charles Harold “Chuck” Perkins (22 Sep 1934–17 May 1968), Find A Grave: Memorial #155297198, citing Bellevue Memorial Park, Ontario, San Bernardino Co., CA, USA: unsourced bio, photo, headstone photo.
4. ↑ "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch: 14 Mar 2018, Charles Perkins, Assembly Dist 7, Bronx, NYC, NY, US; citing ED 3-1174, sheet 3A, line 11, family 49, 16th Census of the US, 1940, NARA digital pub T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: NARA, 2012, roll 2490.
5. ↑ "California Divorce Index, 1966-1984," database, FamilySearch: 15 May 2014, Patricia A Clancy and Charles H Perkins, Jul 1966; from "California Divorce Index, 1966-1984," database and images, Ancestry.com: 2007; citing San Diego City, CA, Health Statistics, CA Dept of Health Services, Sacramento.
6. ↑ Ancestry.com message boards.
7. ↑ TogetherWeServed.com - profile of Charles Harold Perkins.
8. ↑ VirtualWall.org - profile of Charles Harold Perkins.
9. ↑ Fold3.com - profile of Charles Harold Perkins.

See also:

• Wall of Faces - profile of Charles Harold Perkins.
• "United States Military Personnel who Died During the Vietnam War, 1956-2003," database, FamilySearch: 12 Dec 2014, Charles Harold Perkins, 17 May 1968; South Vietnam, panel 62E, line 009, NARA NAID 571687, National Archives at College Park, MD.
• "United States Casualties of the Vietnam War, 1956-1998," database, FamilySearch: 12 Dec 2014, Charles Harold Perkins, NARA NAID 306742, National Archives at College Park, MD.