August Karl Ritzau ★ Vietnam War Gold Star Veteran from Oregon
On November 27, 1968 First Lieutenant Ritzau was declared a casualty of the Vietnam War. ★ He served with honor in the United States Army. ★ He is remembered by the people of Oregon. ★ May his positive example inspire us. Working together towards peace, mutual respect, and equality for all.
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Our displayed data concerning the life and military history of August Karl Ritzau is a work in progress. We've assembled a list of elements we are in the process of researching and reviewing. This profile has not been edited recently and is overdue for our attention.
Missing : Core Data
· Enlistment type· Date of tour or service
· Burial or memorial location
· Expanded biographical or service details
Missing : Supplemental Data
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Service Details
| This Profile ID | 294950 |
| Service ID | 5241062 |
| Name | August Karl Ritzau |
| From | Clackamas, Clackamas County, Oregon |
| Birth Date | July 23, 1945 |
| Casualty Date | November 27, 1968 |
| War | Vietnam War |
| Service Branch | Army |
| Rank | First Lieutenant |
| Specialty | Rotary Wing Aviator |
| Unit/Group | 1st Aviation Brigade, 269th Aviation Battalion, 12th Aviation Group, 187th Aviation Company |
| Casualty Type | Died through hostile action .. air crash on land |
| Location | 3 km SE of Tay Ninh City, South Vietnam, Tay Ninh province |
| Notable Awards |
★ Purple Heart |
| Remembered |  August is honored on the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial in Washington DC. Name inscribed at VVM Wall, Panel 38w, Line 78. |
Additional Details
Auto-Generated Profile Synopsis: August Karl Ritzau was serving his country during the Vietnam War when he gave his all in the line of duty. He had enlisted in the United States Army. Ritzau had the rank of First Lieutenant. His military occupation or specialty was Rotary Wing Aviator. Service number assignment was 5241062. Attached to 1st Aviation Brigade, 269th Aviation Battalion, 12th Aviation Group, 187th Aviation Company.
He was born on July 23, 1945. According to our records Oregon was his home or enlistment state and Clackamas county has been included within the archival record. We have Clackamas listed as his city. During his service in the Vietnam War, Army First Lieutenant Ritzau experienced a traumatic event which ultimately resulted in loss of life on November 27, 1968. Recorded circumstances attributed to: Died through hostile action .. air crash on land. Incident location: 3 km SE of Tay Ninh City, South Vietnam, Tay Ninh province. |
Commendations + Awards
Please note this might not be a complete or completely accurate accounting. For some awards we use probability factors based on known service details. Thanks for your understanding.
★ Purple Heart
★ United States Aviator Badge
★ National Defense Service Medal
★ Vietnam Campaign Medal
★ Vietnam Service Medal
★ Army Presidential Unit Citation
★ Vietnam Gallantry Cross
Notable Reference Sources
These are typically links to pages on external sites that have provided specific nodes of information. In most cases the information has some assurance of being crowd-sourced and vetted by a community of users.Oregon Gold Star Veterans Gallery
Honoring the men and women of Oregon who gave their all for their country. May their example of courage and sacrifice be our guide. To be strong and responsible in our lives as citizens of the world. Through honest daily actions, we honor them.
▶ Oregon was home to over 5,080 American Gold Star veterans from 4 wars of the 20th Century. Some significant statistics:
• 537 World War I
• 3,555 World War II
• 277 Korean War
• 711 Vietnam War
• 191 Prisoners of war
• 1,172 Missing in action
• 35 Pearl Harbor casualties
• 26 D-Day Normandy casualties
• 6 Medal of Honor recipients
• 3,555 World War II
• 277 Korean War
• 711 Vietnam War
• 191 Prisoners of war
• 1,172 Missing in action
• 35 Pearl Harbor casualties
• 26 D-Day Normandy casualties
• 6 Medal of Honor recipients
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▼ Primary Sources - These are repositories for artifacts, documents, diaries, manuscripts, and other information that serve as original and authoritative sources of information.
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Honoring our fallen. Together. Uniting us in meaningful common cause. When we work together to honor our Gold Star veterans, we heal our nation together. It's a team effort. Everyone's invited to join as a Citizen Historian and Guardian of Honor. - learn more
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National D-Day Memorial
Dedicated on June 6th, 2001 by president George W. Bush, the National D-Day Memorial was constructed in honor of those who died that day, fighting in one of the most significant battles in our nations history.
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