Lawrence Jeffrey Churchill

Lance Corporal
U.S. Marine Corps

Born: Feb. 8, 1948
Died: Oct. 18, 1967 (19)

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Tustin Military Heroes

Lawrence Jeffrey Churchill Lance Corporal H CO, 2ND BN, 1ST MARINES, 1ST MARDIV United States Marine Corps - killed Oct. 18, 1967, in Vietnam

A day too late
With red hair and freckles, Lawrence Churchill was well-liked among fellow students
in his 1966 class at Tustin High School.

"Larry was a kind, courteous, friendly guy who had a great smile," classmate
Donna Elliott said.

He had dreams of becoming an architect and buying a Volkswagen, according to a Los Angeles Times Report. But a year after graduation, 19-year-old Churchill was a corporal
in the Marines, having volunteered to serve in Vietnam.

His father, Vernon Churchill, was a retired Marine who didn't want to see his son
killed in battle. So the former first sergeant volunteered to return to service, the Times reports. With a regulation stating two people from the same family don't
have to serve in combat at the same time, that meant Lawrence Churchill could
come home to Tustin.

On Oct. 18, 1967, Vernon Churchill arrived in Vietnam. The Times reports he was waiting for his son to return from patrol when he learned Lawrence Churchill and 23 other Marines in his company had been killed in an ambush in the Quang Tri province.

Vernon Churchill escorted his son's body home to be buried in Orange County.
Today, Churchill Place in Tustin Ranch is named for this fallen Marine.

Adapted from The Tustin News archive

Tustin Patriots Pioneers - Chairperson Donna Perry 714 838-1806 e-mail
"My hope is that the residents that live on these streets will never forget these
young men,"