Kenneth Dean Kenny Rankin

My brother, Kenneth(Kenny), was killed in Vietnam while on river patrol. He and his commander were both killed after the boat they were on hit a river mine.

This article was written in a Broken Arrow Alumni publication, called "Tiger Tales", Volume 3, No. 4 Fall, 2002:

"On Nov. 16, 1969, after serving all but one month of his tour of duty with the U.S. Navy in Vietnam, Kenneth Rankin(class of '66) lost his life when the river patrol boat on which he was a gunner, struck a mine while on patrol.

He has been honored on the Broken Arrow Memorial, along with the others lost in Vietnam.

Kenneth was loved by many and will always be remembered and missed."

The memorial that is referenced above, is now located in the "City Park" north of the Community Center, on the south end of Main Street in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma Tulsa County. The other names of the Broken Arrow men that lost their lives in Viet-Nam are also on this Memorial.

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Kenneth Dean Rankin

Engineman 3rd Class

PERSONAL DATA

Home of Record: Broken Arrow, OK

Date of birth: 12/04/1947

MILITARY DATA

Service: United States Navy

Grade at loss: E4

Rank: Engineman 3rd Class

MOS: 0000: Not Recorded

Length Service: 02

Unit: PBR-617, TF 116, USNAVFORV

CASUALTY DATA

Start Tour: 05/15/1969

Incident Date: 11/16/1969

Casualty Date: 11/16/1969

Age at Loss: 21

Location: South Vietnam

Remains: Body recovered

Casualty Type: Hostile, died while missing

Casualty Reason: Ground casualty

Casualty Detail: Other explosive device

URL: www.VirtualWall.org/dr/RankinKD01a.htm

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