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In Memory of U.S. Army Specialist Fourth Class

Richard Alan Whyte

Rapid City, South Dakota, Pennington County

March 23, 1950 – May 12, 1969

Killed in Action in South Vietnam

Richard Alan “Rick” Whyte was born on March 23, 1950, in Glasgow, Montana to his parents, Robert and Georgia (Peterson) Whyte. His family then moved to Rapid City, South Dakota, where he attended schools in Rapid City and Pierre, South Dakota. His father, a WW II veteran, was a land surveyor and during the summer, Richard sometimes worked with his dad. Vern Bump, who once worked on the same survey crew as Richard, wrote that Richard was “a very nice and polite young man.”

Richard A. Whyte entered the service on May 2, 1967, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Before going to Vietnam, Richard first was assigned duty in Germany. After volunteering to go to Vietnam, on November 8, 1968, Richard A. Whyte commenced his tour as a Specialist Fourth Class, Company C in the Americal Division.

On May 12, 1968, SP4 Richard Allen Whyte was killed in action in Quang Ngai Province, South Vietnam. The body of Richard A. Whyte was returned to Rapid City. He was buried with military honors at Mountain View Cemetery.

According to his uncle, Stan Whyte, SP4 Whyte received the Silver Star, the Purple Heart, the Legion of Merit, the Military Merit, the Army Commendation, the National Defense Service Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the Gallantry Cross with Palm, and the Vietnam Campaign Ribbon.

At the time of SP4 Richard Whyte’s death, he was survived by his father, R.M. Whyte, his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. L.C. Whyte, his grandmother, Gertrude Peterson, and several aunts and uncles, including Stan Whyte, John Whyte, and Jerry Whyte; and an aunt, Donna Lowell.

This entry was respectfully submitted by Tia Marie Ragels, 8th grade, Spearfish Middle School, Spearfish, South Dakota. A Vietnam Veterans Bonus Application and the Rapid City Journal, May 29, 1969, issue, provided information for this entry. Additional information provided by Vern Bump, Pierre. Profile approval by Stan Whyte.