Thomas R. Snaith was born October 23, 1943. His home of record is Oradell, NJ. He was a 1962 graduate of River Dell High School.

Snaith enlisted in the US Marine Corps and attained the rank of Lance Corporal (LCPL).

Snaith had volunteered to work with Vietnamese civilians in a remote village in Thua Thien Province, South Vietnam when, on January 26, 1967, he was killed in action. He was 23 years old.

His parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Snaith, survived Snaith.

The following is an excerpt from The Record dated Monday, January 29, 1973:

Thomas Snaith, 23, was on his way to a relatively safe training assignment after eight months of combat. But the Vietnamese people drew him back.

“From babies to old people, they are stooping year round to get a rice crop, and then the V.C. take it away from them,” he said in a tape recording to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Snaith.

While waiting for transportation, Cpl. Snaith volunteered to work in remote villages.

In January 1967, while working with Vietnamese civilians near Phu Bai, he was shot to death by a Viet Cong sniper.

Source: NJVVMF and The Record.
12/17/2024