(1949-07-06)July 6, 1949 Coulee Dam, Washington, U.S.
Died
December 13, 2016(2016-12-13) (aged 67) Canton, Georgia, U.S.
Service/branch
United States Army
Years of service
1966–1970
Rank
Specialist Four
Battles/wars
Vietnam War
Awards
Bronze Star Soldier's Medal
Lawrence Manley Colburn (July 6, 1949 – December 13, 2016) was a United States Army veteran who, while serving as a helicopter gunner in the Vietnam War, intervened in the March 16, 1968 Mỹ Lai massacre.
Born in Coulee Dam, Washington, Colburn grew up in Mount Vernon, with his father (a veteran contractor from World War II), mother, and three sisters, where he would serve as an altar boy for four years while attending Immaculate Conception Catholic School.
After dropping out of Mount Vernon High School,[1] he joined the army at age 17 in 1966 and was assigned to train at Fort Lewis followed by a stint at Fort Polk. He was then sent to Fort Shafter in Hawaii, where he earned his GED before being sent to Vietnam in December 1967.[2]
In South Vietnam he was assigned to the 161st Assault Helicopter Company (later reorganized as the 123rd Aviation Battalion) with the rank of Specialist Four. Serving as a door-gunner on an OH-23 Raven observation helicopter, his crew chief was Specialist Four Glenn Andreotta and his pilot was Warrant Officer One Hugh Thompson Jr.
Thirty years after the fact all three men were decorated with the Soldier's Medal for their heroic actions at My Lai.
^Investigation of the My Lai Incident (Report). My Lai Incident Subcommittee. 1970. p. 219. Retrieved September 13, 2022. Mr. Hebert: Where did you go to school? Mr. Colburn: Mount Vernon High School, and Skagit Valley Junior College.
^The Forgotten Hero of My Lai: The Hugh Thompson Story, page 35, Angers, 1999
Lawrence Manley Colburn (July 6, 1949 – December 13, 2016) was a United States Army veteran who, while serving as a helicopter gunner in the Vietnam War...
Distinguished Flying Cross, while his crew members Glenn Andreotta and LawrenceColburn were awarded the Bronze Star. Glenn Andreotta was awarded his medal...
Officer One Hugh Thompson, Jr. and his door-gunner was Specialist Four LawrenceColburn, both of whom would also be acclaimed for their heroism at My Lai....
As of 2018, he was living in Gainesville, Florida. Glenn Andreotta, LawrenceColburn, and Hugh Thompson Jr. – U.S. helicopter crew members who intervened...
Leonard Boswell Allison Brooks William Francis Buckley Max Cleland LawrenceColburn John Thomas Corley Wayne A. Downing Theodore Leslie Futch John Galvin...
Leonard Boswell Allison Brooks William Francis Buckley Max Cleland LawrenceColburn John Thomas Corley Wayne A. Downing Theodore Leslie Futch John Galvin...
Three American Servicemen (Hugh Thompson, Jr., Glenn Andreotta, and LawrenceColburn), who made an effort to halt the massacre and protect the wounded,...
Leonard Boswell Allison Brooks William Francis Buckley Max Cleland LawrenceColburn John Thomas Corley Wayne A. Downing Theodore Leslie Futch John Galvin...
Walsh, Lawrence E. (1997). Firewall: The Iran–Contra Conspiracy and Cover-up. New York: Norton & Company. ISBN 978-0-3933-1860-9. Walsh, Lawrence (August...
Leonard Boswell Allison Brooks William Francis Buckley Max Cleland LawrenceColburn John Thomas Corley Wayne A. Downing Theodore Leslie Futch John Galvin...
Leonard Boswell Allison Brooks William Francis Buckley Max Cleland LawrenceColburn John Thomas Corley Wayne A. Downing Theodore Leslie Futch John Galvin...
The Colburn School is a private performing arts school in Los Angeles with a focus on music and dance. It consists of four divisions: the Conservatory...
Leonard Boswell Allison Brooks William Francis Buckley Max Cleland LawrenceColburn John Thomas Corley Wayne A. Downing Theodore Leslie Futch John Galvin...
Leonard Boswell Allison Brooks William Francis Buckley Max Cleland LawrenceColburn John Thomas Corley Wayne A. Downing Theodore Leslie Futch John Galvin...
Leonard Boswell Allison Brooks William Francis Buckley Max Cleland LawrenceColburn John Thomas Corley Wayne A. Downing Theodore Leslie Futch John Galvin...
Leonard Boswell Allison Brooks William Francis Buckley Max Cleland LawrenceColburn John Thomas Corley Wayne A. Downing Theodore Leslie Futch John Galvin...
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