15-Year-Old Marine Youngest American Killed in Vietnam War – PFC Dan Bullock

PFC Dan Bullock
The youngest American serviceman killed in action during the Vietnam War.

Dan Bullock
(December 21, 1953 – June 7, 1969) was
a United States Marine and the youngest American serviceman killed in action during the Vietnam War, dying at the age of 15.

Bullock was born in Goldsboro, North Carolina. He lived in North Carolina until he was about 12, when his mother died and he and his younger sister, Gloria, moved to Brooklyn to live with their father and his wife. He had wanted to become a pilot, a police officer, or a U.S. Marine.

When he was 14 years old, he altered the date on his birth certificate to show he was born December 21, 1949. He processed through the recruiting station, and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps on September 18, 1968. As a member of Platoon 3039 in Parris Island. At first he struggled to make it through, but was able to with help from one of his fellow recruits. Bullock graduated from boot camp on December 10, 1968.

Bullock arrived in South Vietnam on May 18, 1969 and was assigned as a rifleman in 2nd Squad, 2nd Platoon, Fox Company, 2nd Battalion 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division. He was stationed at An Hoa Combat Base west of Hội An in Quảng Nam Province. He was killed instantly by small arms fire on June 7, 1969, during a North Vietnamese army night attack while making an ammunition run to resupply his beleaguered unit. Bullock was just 15 years old.

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