Thomas Carpenter, Jr.

Specialist Four (SP4) Thomas Carpenter, Jr., U.S. Army was killed in a sapper attack on his base at Kontum, Vietnam, on January 10, 1968. His name is engraved on Panel 34E, Row 15 of the Vietnam War Memorial.

In 2003, his name was given to a base in Iraq, Forward Operating Base Carpenter, near Salman Pak. FOB Carpenter was named by Charlie Troop, 1st Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, out of Fort Hood, Texas, when they established the base in 2003. SP4 Carpenter was a flight engineer with the 615th Transportation Company Detachment attached to the 57th Assault Helicopter Company at Kontum. Born December 12, 1946, he was a native of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He was one of 7,257 casualties among over 300,000 African-Americans who served in the war.