May 27, 2023
Pages 4595
Whole Number 173
NAMES FROM THE VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL (THE WALL)
 (rubbing from the wall) |
| CURTIS T. GAY (1947-1968) A SPARKS DESCENDANT KILLED IN VIETNAM |
 |
| CHRISTOPHER JOHN BIDLACK POINTING TO CURTIS T. GAY'S NAME ON THE WALL |
On the cover of The Sparks Quarterly of March 1968 (Whole No. 61), appeared the photograph of a youthful Sparks descendant in U.S. Army uniform. This was Curtis T. Gay who had been killed in action in Vietnam on January 20, 1968. Born on January 20, 1947, Curtis was a descendant of 25. Martin P. Sparks (1786- 1837), whose life was sketched in the March 1958 issue of the Quarterly, Whole No. 21.
Curtis T. Gay had enlisted in the U.S. Army in September 1966, a few months following his graduation from high school. He became a member of the Army Signal Corps in Vietnam, where he was promoted to the rank of Army Specialist Fourth Class. He was killed in action while defending a bunker on the summit of Ke Sien Mountain in the Battle of Qui Nhon.
Having children nearly the same age as Curtis, your editor has often gazed on the smiling, innocent face looking out through this photograph, thinking of the grief suffered by this boy's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph T. Gay, as a result of this terrible war. In 1968, they were residents of McKeesport, Pennsylvania.
Your editor's son. Major Harold W. Bidlack, USAF, was in Washington, D.C., in 1995 and, accompanied by his son (my grandson) Christopher John Bidlack, went to the Vietnam Memorial and found Curtis T. Gay's name. They made a "rubbing" of his name that is reproduced on page 4595. Hal also took a photograph of Christopher pointing to Curtis' engraved name on The Wall.
How many other names of Sparks descendants appear on The Wall we cannot guess, but we can report that there are twenty with the surname Sparks and one with the surname Spark. The following information about each one has been taken from the information available at the Memorial, as well as through the computer.
| Spark, Michael Melvin | ||
| Rank: | Colonel | |
| Home: | New York, New York | |
| Date of birth: | June 9, 1927 | |
| Age: | 41 | |
| Marital status: | Married | |
| Service: | Marine Corps, Regular | |
| Pay Grade: | 06 | |
| Date of death: | January 15, 1969 | |
| Casualty place: | South Vietnam | |
| Casualty type: | Hostile - Killed | |
| Body status: | Body recovered | |
| Sparks, Charles Pierce | ||
| Rank: | Private First Class | |
| Home: | Killeen, Texas | |
| Date of birth: | October 6, 1938 | |
| Age: | 26 | |
| Marital status: | Single | |
| Service: | Army, Regular | |
| Pay grade: | E3 | |
| Date of death: | October 24, 1964 | |
| Casualty place: | Cambodia | |
| Casualty type: | Hostile - Died while missing | |
| Body status: | Body recovered | |
| Sparks, Clifford Edward | ||
| Rank: | Specialist 6th Class | |
| Home: | Ft. Lauderdale, Florida | |
| Date of birth: | July 29,1936 | |
| Age: | 30 | |
| Marital status: | Married | |
| Service: | Army, Regular | |
| Pay grade: | E6 | |
| Date of death: | March 5, 1967 | |
| Casualty place: | South Vietnam | |
| Casualty type: | Hostile - Died while Missing | |
| Body status: | Body recovered | |
| Sparks, David Leo | ||
| Rank: | Specialist 4th Class | |
| Home: | Lakewood, Colorado | |
| Date of birth: | March 6, 1949 | |
| Age: | 19 | |
| Marital status: | Single | |
| Service: | Army, Regular | |
| Pay grade: | E4 | |
| Date of death: | October 24, 1968 | |
| Casualty place: | South Vietnam | |
| Casualty type: | Non-hostile - Died of other causes | |
| Body status: | Body recovered | |
| Sparks, Donald Lee | ||
| Rank: | Specialist First Class | |
| Home: | Carroll, Iowa | |
| Date of birth: | November 7, 1946 | |
| Age: | 32 | |
| Marital status: | Single | |
| Service: | Army, Temporary | |
| Pay grade: | E7 | |
| Date of death: | November 5, 1979 | |
| Casualty place: | South Vietnam | |
| Casualty type: | Hostile - Died while captured | |
| Body status: | Body not recovered | |
| Sparks, Glenn Louis | ||
| Rank: | Private First Class | |
| Home: | Buena Park, California | |
| Date of birth: | July 13, 1950 | |
| Age: | 18 | |
| Marital status: | Single | |
| Service: | Army, Regular | |
| Pay grade: | E3 | |
| Date of death: | March 19, 1969 | |
| Casualty place: | South Vietnam | |
| Casualty type: | ||
| Body status: | Body recovered | |
| Sparks, Henry Eugene | ||
| Rank: | Staff Sergeant | |
| Home: | Los Angeles, California | |
| Date of birth: | August 11, 1935 | |
| Age: | 33 | |
| Marital status: | Married | |
| Service: | Marine Corps, Regular | |
| Pay grade: | E6 | |
| Date of death: | July 10, 1969 | |
| Casualty place: | South Vietnam | |
| Casualty type: | Hostile - Killed | |
| Body status: | Body recovered | |
| Sparks, James Edward | ||
| Rank: | Private First Class | |
| Home: | Los Angeles, California | |
| Date of birth: | May 9, 1948 | |
| Age: | 20 | |
| Marital status: | Single | |
| Service: | Army, Temporary | |
| Pay grade: | E3 | |
| Date of death: | December 18, 1968 | |
| Casualty place: | South Vietnam | |
| Casualty type: | Hostile - Killed | |
| Body status: | Body recovered | |
| Sparks, James Henry | ||
| Rank: | Lance Corporal | |
| Home: | Pasadena, Texas | |
| Date of birth: | March 6, 1948 | |
| Age: | 19 | |
| Marital status: | Married | |
| Service: | Marine Corps, Regular | |
| Pay grade: | E3 | |
| Date of death: | June 30, 1967 | |
| Casualty place: | South Vietnam | |
| Casualty type: | Hostile - Killed | |
| Body status: | Body recovered | |
| Sparks, John W. | ||
| Rank: | Private First Class | |
| Home: | Kettle Falls, Washington | |
| Date of birth: | September 24, 1949 | |
| Age: | 20 | |
| Marital status: | Single | |
| Service: | Army, Temporary | |
| Pay grade: | E3 | |
| Date of death: | January 9, 1970 | |
| Casualty place: | South Vietnam | |
| Casualty type: | Non-hostile - Died of illness | |
| Body status: | Body recovered | |
| Sparks, Jon Michael | ||
| Rank: | Chief Warrant Officer | |
| Home: | Carey, Idaho | |
| Date of birth: | February 24, 1950 | |
| Age: | 26 | |
| Marital status: | Married | |
| Service: | Army, Reserve | |
| Pay grade: | W2 | |
| Date of death: | March 11, 1976 | |
| Casualty place: | Laos | |
| Casualty type: | Hostile - Died while Missing | |
| Body status: | Body not recovered | |
| Sparks, Paul Allan | ||
| Rank: | Private First Class | |
| Home: | Houston, Texas | |
| Date of birth: | June 23, 1947 | |
| Age: | 22 | |
| Marital status: | Single | |
| Service: | Army, Regular | |
| Pay grade: | E3 | |
| Date of death: | August 19, 1969 | |
| Casualty place: | South Vietnam | |
| Casualty type: | Army, Temporary | |
| Body status: | Body recovered | |
| Sparks, Peter Allan | ||
| Rank: | Hospitalman | |
| Home: | Minneapolis, Minnesota | |
| Date of birth: | April 23, 1948 | |
| Age: | 19 | |
| Marital status: | Married | |
| Service: | Navy, Regular | |
| Pay grade: | E3 | |
| Date of death: | October 4, 1967 | |
| Casualty place: | South Vietnam | |
| Casualty type: | Hostile - Killed | |
| Body status: | Body recovered | |
| Sparks, Richard L. | ||
| Rank: | Specialist Fourth Class | |
| Home: | Marion, Ohio | |
| Date of birth: | May 10, 1945 | |
| Age: | 23 | |
| Marital status: | Married | |
| Service: | Navy, Regular | |
| Pay grade: | E4 | |
| Date of death: | September 19, 1968 | |
| Casualty place: | South Vietnam | |
| Casualty type: | Non-hostile - Died of other causes | |
| Body status: | Body recovered | |
| Sparks, Rickie D. | ||
| Rank: | Sergeant | |
| Home: | Tecumseh, Michigan | |
| Date of birth: | July 26, 1947 | |
| Age: | 20 | |
| Marital status: | Married | |
| Service: | Army, Temporary | |
| Pay grade: | E5 | |
| Date of death: | November 18, 1967 | |
| Casualty place: | South Vietnam | |
| Casualty type: | Hostile-Killed | |
| Body status: | Body recovered | |
| Sparks, Roger Howard | ||
| Rank: | Sergeant | |
| Home: | Bellingham, Washington | |
| Date of birth: | December 15, 1945 | |
| Age: | 22 | |
| Marital status: | Single | |
| Service: | Army, Regular | |
| Pay grade: | E4 | |
| Date of death: | May 3, 1968 | |
| Casualty place: | South Vietnam | |
| Casualty type: | Hostile-Killed | |
| Body status: | Body recovered | |
| Sparks, Roger Howard | ||
| Rank: | Private First Class | |
| Home: | Rich Creek, Virginia | |
| Date of birth: | November 7, 1947 | |
| Age: | 20 | |
| Marital status: | Married | |
| Service: | Army, Temporary | |
| Pay grade: | E3 | |
| Date of death: | April 6, 1968 | |
| Casualty place: | South Vietnam | |
| Casualty type: | Hostile-Killed | |
| Body status: | Body recovered | |
| Sparks, Stephen Duane, Sr. | ||
| Rank: | First Lieutenant | |
| Home: | Tulsa, Oklahoma | |
| Date of birth: | January 11, 1944 | |
| Age: | 24 | |
| Marital status: | Married | |
| Service: | Army Reserve | |
| Pay grade: | O2 | |
| Date of death: | September 11, 1968 | |
| Casualty place: | South Vietnam | |
| Casualty type: | Hostile-Killed | |
| Body status: | Body recovered | |
| Sparks, Steven Lee | ||
| Rank: | Private First Class | |
| Home: | Columbus, Ohio | |
| Date of birth: | July 14, 1948 | |
| Age: | 19 | |
| Marital status: | Single | |
| Service: | Marine Corps, Regular | |
| Pay grade: | E2 | |
| Date of death: | April 6, 1968 | |
| Casualty place: | South Vietnam | |
| Casualty type: | Hostile-Killed | |
| Body status: | Body recovered | |
| Sparks, Thomas James | ||
| Rank: | Private First Class | |
| Home: | Groves, Texas | |
| Date of birth: | March 13, 1949 | |
| Age: | 18 | |
| Marital status: | Single | |
| Service: | Marine Corps, Regular | |
| Pay grade: | E2 | |
| Date of death: | February 9, 1968 | |
| Casualty place: | South Vietnam | |
| Casualty type: | Hostile-Killed | |
| Body status: | Body recovered | |
| Sparks, William Douglas | ||
| Rank: | Sergeant | |
| Home: | Stout, Ohio | |
| Date of birth: | October 19, 1948 | |
| Age: | 20 | |
| Marital status: | Single | |
| Service: | Army, Temporary | |
| Pay grade: | E4 | |
| Date of death: | June 9, 1969 | |
| Casualty place: | South Vietnam | |
| Casualty type: | Hostile-Killed | |
| Body status: | Body recovered |