Ricard Thomas Bunnis
Era: Vietnam
Military Branch: Marines
BUNNIS, Ricard Thomas
Ricard Thomas Bunnis was born on March 10th 1947 to Clifford LaMoyne & Murriel Frances [Maloney] Bunnis in Lodi, California. He graduated from International Falls, MN High School.
Mr. Bunnis entered service with the U.S. Marine Corps on February 15th 1966 in Minneapolis during the Vietnam War. He rose to the rank of Lance Corporal (LCPL).
CPL Bunnis was assigned to F Company, 4th Marines Regiment, 2nd Battlaion, 3rd Marine Division. In July 1967, the Battalion was committed to Operation CHOCTAW, and on July 10 the Battalion began participating in Operation FREMONT in Thua Thien Province.
He was tragically killed in action on July 14th 1967 at 20 years of age. He was killed by a hostile explosive device while serving in Thua Thien Province of South Vietnam, During a patrol on July 14, near Hill 51, 4 kilometers south of the Junction of Highway 1 and Route 601. LCpl Bunnis stepped on a buried 81mm mortar round rigged as a mine causing an explosion. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart.
He is buried at American Legion Cemetery in International Falls, Minnesota. He is also honored on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC.
Source(s):
Albert J. Amatuzio Research Center | Veterans Memorial Hall (vets-hall.org)
Fold3 - Bunnis, Ricard Thomas, LCpl: PERSON, pictures and information - Fold3
LCpl Ricard Thomas Bunnis (1947-1967) - Find a Grave Memorial
U.S., Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1925-1970 - Ancestry.com
