Daniel J. Giordano III

Private First Class

B Company
1st Battalion
9th Marine Regiment
1st Marine Division

Entered the Service from: New Jersey
Born: August 2, 1949
Died: May 18, 1969
Buried at: New St. Mary’s Cemetery
                 Bellmawr, New Jersey

Awards: Purple Heart

Panel 24W, Line 41
Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Private First Class Daniel J. Giordano III was born on August 2, 1949 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father had served in the United States Navy during World War II. The family later moved to Hi-Nella, NJ.

Daniel J. Giordano III was a graduate of Sterling Regional High School. He joined the Marine Corps in August of 1968, and was sent to Vietnam January 28, 1969 to serve with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Marines.

Giordano died of injuries received in a helicopter crash on May 18, 1969. He is memorialized on Panel 24W, Line 41 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Six Marines died on May 10, 1969 when a CH-46 (BuNo 152560) of Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 262 was shot down while making a combat assault landing:

Aircrew, CH-46 BuNo 152560:

Cpl Peter Gibson, Gunner, H&MS-39
Cpl Kenneth W. Wheeler, Crew Chief, HMM-262

From Bravo Co, 1st Bn, 9th Marines:

LCpl Virgil Lee Larkins
LCpl Paul D. Mannerow
Pfc Gerald Gene Broussard
Pfc Roy James Mrosewske

The HMM-262 Command Chronology for the date of his death contains the following information:

HMM-262 launched an 8 A/C (aircraft) assault lifting troops of First Battalion Ninth Marines, into Landing Zone Erskine located at YD-162106 (UTM grid coordinates). Small-arms fire was received by one of the A/C while in the zone during the first wave, yet no hits were taken. On the second wave, 93-8 (aircraft mission number) while approaching the zone had a power loss, fell short of the zone, crashed and burned. The pilot, copilot, and one gunner, Major Whitfield, 1/Lt P. J. Traube, and L/Cpl J. W. Stewart, received minor injuries. However the crew chief and second gunner, Cpl K. W. Wheeler and Cpl P. Gibson (H&MS-39) received fatal injuries…

In addition to the six dead, six other Marines were injured in the crash — and on May 18, one of them died from his injuries: Private Daniel J. Giordano.

DJ Was My Squadmate

DJ was on a chopper that crashed on FSB Erskine, the crash was 5/10/69. He was medevaced to a hospital ship and then to Japan. He died of burns on 5/18/69. The operation was Apache Snow. DJ was in Bravo 1/9 2nd plt., USMC. “THE WALKING DEAD”

Woody Postle
Dover, Delaware
Tuesday, May 25, 1999