Thomas Leroy Pollard

Thomas Leroy Pollard was born and raised in Red Oak. Pollard was a member of the local Lutheran Church. He attended the University of Iowa where he was a member of the Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity. He was married in August 1960 to a Marion native. Pollard joined the Army and became an officer, achieving the rank of Major. He deployed to South Vietnam in October 1967. MAJ Pollard was serving with 204th Military Intelligence Detachment, Corps Headquarters & Headquarters Company, XXIV Corps, in Thua Thien Province, South Vietnam. He died on August 19, 1968 from wounds sustained in a friendly fire incident. MAJ Pollard was wounded when an artillery smoke round fell short of its target and struck Pollard. He was transferred to the Navy hospital ship the USS <i>Repose</i>, where he expired. He was 31 years old at the time of his death. His body was returned to Iowa and buried in the Evergreen Cemetery in Red Oak.