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LCpl. Patrick E. Broderick

A Chicago Marine. The casualty file gives his rank (lance corporal), his job (assaultman: the Marine who carries rockets and demolitions for knocking out bunkers) and his death in action in South Vietnam on 23 September 1967, aged 20. The Virtual Wall adds his unit (Company G, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines) and his place on the Wall, panel 27E; Find a Grave adds his grave at Holy Sepulchre Catholic Cemetery in Alsip. No letters or photos turned up, and the report says where families usually find them.

What was typed into the search: Patrick Broderick · Marines · Vietnam War · Chicago, Illinois

Service: U.S. Marine Corps, Vietnam War
Unit: Company G, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division (Virtual Wall)
Conflict: Vietnam War
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
Born: 12 March 1947
Died: 23 September 1967 (killed in action, aged 20)

Summary sources: NARA AAD: his Vietnam casualty record (DCAS) · The Virtual Wall.

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Built only from public records. Family who want this corrected or removed: corrections & takedowns. The full automatic report follows. It is a research summary, not an official record. Lines marked "Likely" are labeled guesses.

Service story · researched from public records

Patrick Emmet Broderick — Marine Corps, Vietnam War

Born 12 Mar 1947 · Died 23 Sep 1967 (aged 20)

Service number 2323149 CONFIRMED

VIETNAM1 RECORD PAGE3 SOURCES CITED

At a glance

Patrick Emmet Broderick

Confirmed match · Written for family readers — military jargon explained as you go.

Who: Patrick Emmet Broderick · born 12 Mar 1947 · died 23 Sep 1967 (aged 20)
Service: Marine Corps · Vietnam War · service no. 2323149
His job: Lance Corporal — Assaultman (rank and duty as listed in the casualty file)
Where: Chicago, Illinois

Most notable moment (from the records):
Killed in action on 23 September 1967 in South Vietnam. Source: the Defense Department casualty file at the National Archives.

Why we matched this record (Confirmed, 107 evidence points)

same last name; first name matches; same branch; record dated 1967, fits the years given; war listed as Vietnam War; home/burial state Illinois matches; home of record city Chicago matches; independently corroborated by The Virtual Wall (virtualwall.org), Find a Grave; public casualty/death profile matched.

Other records that line up:

PROBABLE The Virtual Wall (virtualwall.org) — same last name; first name matches; same branch; war listed as Vietnam War; home/burial state Illinois matches; home of record city Chicago matches; independently corroborated by Vietnam Conflict Extract Data File (DCAS), NARA RG 330, Find a Grave
PROBABLE Find a Grave — same last name; first name matches; home/burial state Illinois matches; hometown Chicago appears on the memorial; died 1967, within the service years given, on a military memorial; Find a Grave memorial marks military service; independently corroborated by Vietnam Conflict Extract Data File (DCAS), NARA RG 330, The Virtual Wall (virtualwall.org)
PROBABLE Find a Grave — same last name; first name matches; hometown Chicago appears on the memorial; died 1967, within the service years given, on a military memorial; Find a Grave memorial marks military service; independently corroborated by Vietnam Conflict Extract Data File (DCAS), NARA RG 330, The Virtual Wall (virtualwall.org)

Confirmed = an exact identifier matches. Likely = several independent details match. Possible = some details match; needs checking.

01 · Timeline

What the records say, in order

23 September 1967

Killed in action in South Vietnam (Defense Department casualty file): Lance Corporal, Marine Corps. from records found CONFIRMED1

23 Sep 1967 (aged 20)

Buried at Holy Sepulchre Catholic Cemetery, Alsip (Section 19 Block 15 Lot 29 Grave 2). PROBABLE2

23 Sep 1967 (aged 20)

Name inscribed on the National Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, District of Columbia (Panel 27E, Line 2). This is a memorial, not a grave. PROBABLE3

Ranks explained

His rank, explained

Each rank in his records, in plain English, with its pay grade and what it usually meant day to day.

LCPL rating badge

Rate / rank

LCPL — Lance Corporal

Pay grade: E-3 · Rough Army equivalent: Private First Class

What it meant: Marine with some experience, often a fire-team member or leader.

Appendix · Original documents (archive scans)

Scans from the National Archives. Click to enlarge when viewing in a full browser.

02 · His job, and what that meant there

What someone in his job was likely doing

General descriptions from service manuals and base histories. They describe the typical specialty at that place, not documented personal events. See Ranks explained for badge, pay grade, and suffix decode.

Job code 0351

Assaultman

What it meant: This is the duty written in his casualty file.

A typical day (general, not personal): A Marine infantryman trained with rockets and demolitions to knock out bunkers and fortified positions (MOS 0351).

03 · Where he served, then

Period photographs

Headstone / memorial photo — Patrick BroderickHoly Sepulchre Catholic Cemetery, Alsip — Grave marker photo from Find a Grave memorial 95224491 — Holy Sepulchre Catholic Cemetery, Alsip. Find a Grave memorial photo (contributor-owned; shown for family research — see memorial page). File page ↗

Headstone / memorial photo — Patrick BroderickHoly Sepulchre Catholic Cemetery, Alsip — Grave marker photo from Find a Grave memorial 95224491 — Holy Sepulchre Catholic Cemetery, Alsip. Find a Grave memorial photo (contributor-owned; shown for family research — see memorial page). File page ↗

Public-domain images from Wikimedia Commons for service places only (ships, training stations, campaigns). Hometown/residence photos are never used as service imagery.

04 · Units

The units in his records

1st Marines

The 1st Marine Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps based at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. The regiment is under the command of the 1st Marine Division and the I Marine Expeditionary Force. The 1st Marine Regiment is also sometimes referred to as "Regimental Combat Team 1" or "Inchon".

History (Wikipedia) ↗ · Insignia image ↗

1st Marine Division

The 1st Marine Division is a Marine division of the United States Marine Corps headquartered at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. It is the ground combat element of the I Marine Expeditionary Force.

History (Wikipedia) ↗ · Insignia image ↗

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Notable stories

What the public record says

Patrick Broderick in the public record

Official casualty file: Lance Corporal Patrick Emmet Broderick; Marine Corps; home of record Chicago, Illinois; duty: assaultman; died 23 September 1967; in South Vietnam; killed in action. — Vietnam Conflict Extract Data File (DCAS), NARA RG 330

Name on The Wall, panel 27E; unit Company G, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division, III Marine Amphibious Force; job code 0351 (antitank assaultman). — The Virtual Wall (virtualwall.org)

KILLED IN ACTION VIETNAM WAR PATRICK EMMET BRODERICK LCPL - E3 - Marine Corps - Regular Length of service 1 years Casualty was on Sep 23, 1967 In QUANG NAM, SOUTH VIETNAM HOSTILE, GROUND CASUALTY MULTIPLE FRAGMENTATION WOUNDS Body was recovered — Find a Grave memorial (volunteer-contributed; verify)

Buried at Holy Sepulchre Catholic Cemetery, Alsip (plot Section 19 Block 15 Lot 29 Grave 2). — Find a Grave

Name on the National Vietnam Veterans Memorial (Panel 27E, Line 2). This is a memorial, not a grave. — Find a Grave

Notable-story text is labeled with sources. Memoir and secondary accounts are marked; primary award citations are preferred when available.

05 · Gaps and next records

What we couldn't find, and how to get it

Most families' searches turn up only part of the story. These free records usually fill in the rest.

1

No VA-maintained burial record found under this name. Private-cemetery government headstones before 1997 are often missing from the VA dataset.

2

Discharge date, decorations and full unit list are in the personnel file (request with SF-180; a DD-214 copy from the family can be decoded here).

NEXT

Ask for his official file (free for family)

Use form SF-180 or the National Archives' online eVetRecs. Give his full name, service number 2323149, branch and rough dates. Next of kin (spouse, child, parent, sibling) pay nothing. Files of anyone who left service more than 62 years ago are open to everyone.

NEXT

The Wall of Faces

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund collects a photo and remembrances for every name on the Wall. Families can add theirs.

NEXT

Headstone application

Government headstone applications (NARA, 1925–1963, and later VA files) often give serial, unit and dates.

06 · Sources

1 Vietnam Conflict Extract Data File (DCAS), NARA RG 330 — https://aad.archives.gov/aad/record-detail.jsp?dt=2513&mtch=1&cat=all&tf=F&sc=27435,27438,27439,27445,27447,27448,27450,27468,27423&bc=,sl,fd&txt_27438=BRODERICK+PATRICK&op_27438=0&nfo_27438=V,40,1900&rpp=200&pg=1&rid=5812
2 Find a Grave memorial — https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/95224491/patrick-emmet-broderick
3 Find a Grave memorial — https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/228462590/patrick-emmet-broderick

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Not affiliated with the VA, National Archives or Department of Defense. Not an official record, and not for benefits, medals or burial claims. Official copies come from the National Personnel Records Center via SF-180: free to veterans and next of kin, or a $25–$70 copy fee for files over 62 years old. Lines marked "Likely" are labeled guesses.