Russell Keith Blatz – Specialist 4, United States Army

Full Name: RUSSELL KEITH BLATZ
Date of Birth: 9/10/1946
Date of Casualty: 1/8/1968
Home of Record: LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA
Branch of Service: ARMY
Rank: SP4
Casualty Country: SOUTH VIETNAM
Casualty Province: LONG AN

In July 1967, Russell Blatz was credited with saving the lives of several members of his platoon after they were badly injured by a booby trap hidden in thick elephant grass. His Bronze Star citation said in part:

“He braved the booby trapped areas repeatedly in treating his casualties, and when the platoon medical corpsman arrived, Private Blatz led him through the dangerous vegetation … Private Blatz’s courage and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service …”

Blatz, who had dropped out of high school in 1966 and was drafted, was promoted in November. Two months later, he was dead.

On 08 January 1968 the 3rd Battalion, 39th Infantry, lost 15 men in an engagement west of Rach Kien:

A Company:

• Sergeant Rainer K. Morgan, McGuire AFB, New Jersey
• Specialist 4 Russell K. Blatz, Lynchburg, Virginia
• Specialist 4 Robert L. Crawley, Baraboo, Wisconsin
• Corporal Donald W. Keep, Freeport, Illinois
• Specialist 4 Stephen J. Stewart, Clinton, Missouri
• Corporal Robert E. Young, Silverbell, Arizona

B Company:

• Specialist 4 William E. Tieman, Delanco, New Jersey
• Private First Class Jarold E. Humphrey, Greenville, California
• Private First Class Paul J. Lively, Cynthiana, Kentucky
• Private First Class Ronnie D. Pendergraft, Clovis, California
• Privte First Class Daniel Reese, Bassfield, Mississippi
• Private First Class Donald Wooley, Siluria, Alabama
• Private First Class Robert L. Wright, Gardner, Illinois

HQ Company:

• Private First Class Daniel R. Bowman, Elberton, Georgia
• Private First Class Roger C. Foxworth, Dearborn, Michigan

BLATZ, RUSSELL K
Specialist 4, United States Army

• DATE OF BIRTH: 09/10/1946
• DATE OF DEATH: 01/08/1968
• BURIED AT: SECTION 31  SITE 6518-K
  ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY

Michael Robert Patterson

Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.

Reviewed by: Michael Howard