Patrick E. Ward

Date of Birth: 08/19/1947
Neighborhood: Fairmount
High School: Roman Catholic High School
Street: Swain Street
Branch of Service: Army
Rank: SP4
Date of Casualty: 08/26/1968
Province of Casualty: Lam Dong
Philadelphia Memorial Panel: Panel 31
Panel Row: 17

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"Patty" Ward overcame a childhood bone affliction to become an active teen-ager and athlete, He was voted "most popular student" in his senior year at Roman Catholic High School, sang in the glee club, ran track and was a guard on the varsity football team. "It was all he lived for. , Everything was Roma, Roman, Roman," " his policeman father recalled. Ward was working at ITE Circuit Breaker Co. when lie was drafted into the Army in November 1966, He loved children, and frequently sent home from Vietnam pictures of children living in an orphanage he had. "adopted." His family had just mailed off a box of supplies for the orphanage when notified that Ward had died on Aug. 22, 1968. The specialist four was 21 and bad flown more than 25 combat missions as a helicopter gunner for the 92nd Assault Helicopter Cornpany, 17th Aviation Group, 1st Aviation Bnigade. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star. Ward was survived by his parents, three brothers and two sisters, A corner of a neighborhood park at 24th and Aspen streets in Fairmount is dedicated in his memory, while St. Francis Xavier Grade School, which he attended as a young boy, presents the Patty Ward Memorial Trophy each year

Philadelphia Vietnam Veterans Memorial