Mack Lemul France Jr
Military Data
Length Service 01
Unit A Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division, USARV
Casualty Data
Start Tour 16 August 1965
Incident Date 6 May 1966
Casualty Date 6 May 1966
Age at Loss 18
Location , South Vietnam
Remains Body recovered
Casualty Type Hostile, died outright
Casualty Reason Ground casualty
Casualty Detail Gun or small arms fire
Vietnam Wall Panel 07E Line 033
My 5th Cousin. He Was Killed In Action In The Republic North Vietnam. Awarded The Purple Heart & Bronze Star. Tammy Gunter
Family links
Parents
Mack Lemuel France 1920 – 2009
Lygatha Valentine France 1926 – 1999
Burial
Dutch Bottoms Baptist Church Cemetery, Cocke County, Tennessee
The Standard Banner, May 12, 1966
Jefferson County’s second casualty of the Vietnam War is PFC Mack L. France, Jr., age 18. Mack, who attended Maury High School and lives in the Shady Grove Community just before joining the Army, Oct. 13, 1964, died on Friday, May 6, according to a telegram received by the family Saturday. His parents, Mr. and Mrs. Mack L. France, Sr., live on Newport Rt. 1 in the Swannsylvania Community. First war victim from Jefferson County was Pvt. John W. Watkins who was killed in action April 11.
According to the telegram, France, a member of Company A, 7th Cavalry Division, Air Mobile, died of gunshot wounds received while on combat operations, Lt. Falkenberry of the Knoxville Armed Forces Examining Station said Monday morning. Pfc. France’s body will be sent back to the United States on the first available air lift from Vietnam and will come to the Oakland Army Base, Oakland, Calif. From there the body will be flown to Knoxville with an escort. Mrs. France said that her only son, who would have been 19 on June 16, has since a small boy wanted to join the army and make it a career. “He wanted to follow in the footsteps of an uncle who has several years in service”, she said. The mother also said she had not heard from her son since January and that she had been trying to get in touch with him through the Red Cross and other sources, but had been unable to reach him. PFC France, who had received his basic training at Ft. Benning, Ga., had left for overseas duty on August 18, 1965. The mother said her son had only had one leave since entering and that was a 14 day leave at Christmas time 1964. He is survived by parents, Mr. and Mrs. Mack L. France Sr.,; sisters, Mrs. Gene Ellis, Ashton, Ill., Mrs. Ollie Mae Saylor, Newport, July Ann, Marcella and Brenda Sue France, all of Newport; Grandparents, Mrs. Florence France, Dandridge and Milburn Valentine of Newport, also three nephews and three nieces.
- Rank: Private First Class
- Date of birth: 16 June 1947
- Date of death: 6 May 1966
- County: Jefferson
- Hometown: Dandridge
- Service Branch: Army
- Division/Assignment: 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division
- Conflict: Vietnam
- Awards: Purple Heart, Bronze Star
- Burial/Memorial Location: Dutch Bottoms Baptist Church Cemetery, Cocke County, TN
- Location In Memorial: Pillar XXIII, Top Panel
- Contact us to sponsor Mack L. France Jr.
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