Local soldiers died in Vietnam

Sandpoint lost four young men in combat in Vietnam in the 1960s. Veteran’s Day is about never forgetting our fallen soldiers.

Glen Emery Shropshire died July 31, 1967, at the age of 20 in a non-hostile helicopter crash at night over Pleiku Province, South Vietnam. His tour of duty in the U.S. Army began on May 3, 1967 and he died nearly three months later. Shropshire was married; he never saw his child.

He is buried at Pinecrest Cemetery.

William Balt “Bill” Hunt, Green Beret, served in the U.S. Army Special Forces as a radio operator. At age 31, he was evacuating wounded men at Soui Da, South Vietnam while the company’s commander on the ground was requesting additional support and reinforcements over the radio, due to heavy enemy fire. While on the radio, the commander was severely injured. Hunt went to his rescue, dressing the wounds and taking over the radio. While on the radio, Hunt was mortally wounded. The company commander was eventually evacuated, but Hunt’s body was never found.

Hunt has been listed as Missing in Action since Nov. 4, 1966; there is a monument or cenotaph at Pinecrest Memorial Park memorializing him.

Eddie D. Mapes, who had listed Kootenai as his home, served in the U.S. Army. He was a Quang Tin casualty at age 19; he had served in Vietnam one month. He is buried at Seneacquoteen Cemetery in Bonner County.

James Alton Lockwood, died Sept. 17, 1966 at age 20 while serving in the U.S. Army on “Hill 86” near the Tuy An village in Phu Yen Province. Overwhelming enemy force killed or wounded the defenders of the hill with mortar rounds, grenades, and satchel charges, according to an online report by Douglas N. Field. Ten American men died on the hill and 15 were wounded.

Lockwood is buried at Pinecrest Memorial in Sandpoint.