DONALD WALTER SPERL
3rd Platoon, Delta Company, 3rd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment
4th Infantry Division
Killed In Action – 5/8/1968
Age: 21
Date of Birth: 01/12/1947
From: Juneau, Alaska
Marital Status: Single
Corporal, E-4, Selective Service
Pay grade at loss E-3. Posthumous promotion
Military Occupation Specialty: 91B20 – Medical NCO
Enlistment Date – 8/16/1967
Length of Service – Less than one year (264 days)
His tour began on January 10, 1968
Casualty was on May 8, 1968 (119 days in Vietnam)
Casualty Code – A2-I-7
Ground Casualty
Hostile – Died of Wounds, Misadventure
Place of casualty – Kontum Province, Dak To District
Approximately seven kilometers southwest of Dak To basecamp.
Donald W. Sperl was killed in action by friendly fire when his unit was moving to engage an NVA force near Hill 1089 southwest of Dak To. UH-1B Huey gunships of the 7-17th Cavalry Squadron were engaging NVA rocket positions on the northern slope of the hill when they mistakenly identified Delta Company, 3-12 Infantry as an NVA element and engaged the American infantry company with 40mm grenades, rockets and automatic weapons fire. Three men were KIA and four others wounded in this event. Donald was severely wounded but survived the initial incident, but succumbed to his wounds onboard a medical evacuation helicopter just moments after being lifted from the field.
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall
Panel 57E Line 11
Top row (Badges) – Combat Medical Badge
Middle row – left to right (Individual Awards) – Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal
Bottom row (Unit Awards) – Presidential Unit Citation, Republic of Vietnam RVN Gallantry Cross Unit Citation
Biography
Donald Walter Sperl was born on January 12th, 1947 in Juneau, Alaska. He was the was fourth child (3rd son) of Walter & Clara Sperl. His siblings (David, Dennis, Moretta) were all born in Washington state prior to the family moving to Juneau. Walt Sperl was the owner/operator of a mail boat. The F/V Yakobi plied the intercoastal waters of southeast Alaska for many years. Donald and his siblings grew up on the mailboat, spending many days accompanying their father on the weekly trip delivering mail, supplies and passengers to various destinations in southeast Alaska.
Donald graduated from Juneau-Douglas High School, class of 1965. He was an avid basketball player, captaining the team his senior year. He was voted “Best All Around” by his high school senior class.
Services
Donald was buried with full military honors at the Evergreen Cemetery in Juneau, Alaska on May 22nd, 1968. His high school friend, John Leigh-Kendell, escorted his body home from Vietnam. John and Donald enlisted at the same time, attended medical training together at Ft. Sam Houston, Texas before Vietnam, and served together in the 3rd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division until Donald’s death.
Additional information
Donald’s story – https://abraveservice.org/donald-sperl-may-8-1968/
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund Wall of Faces – https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/49158/DONALD-W-SPERL/