One newspaper article from August 7, 1967 when Thomas was killed in action in Vietnam. He was survived by his parents, one brother, and two sisters. A recon patrol consisting of First Lieutenant William McBride and 7 men from the 2nd Platoon, Alpha Company, 3rd Recon Battalion, was inserted into the southern end of the A Shau Valley, Thua Thien Province, at 1300 hours on 01 August 1967. They patrolled for the next 2 days and their report follows: From HMM-164 operations report: Those killed in this incident were: Aircrew, HMM-164, MAG-16 CPL Thomas Alan Gopp, Crewman, New London, Ohio 2nd Platoon, Alpha Company, 3rd Recon Battalion, 3rd Marine Division HN James Patrick McGrath, Medic, Chicago, Illinois LCpl John Benedict Nahan, Rifleman, Allegan, Michigan LCpl Jack Wolpe, Rifleman, Newburgh, New York Almost 30 years later the crash site was examined by JTF and human remains were repatriated on 08 June 1994. On 10 July 2001 the Defense Department announced that individual remains from all four men had been positively identified. From the Arlington National Cemetery, and memorial pages for Mc Grath and Wolpe, the following was obtained: On November 9 2001, a Memorial Service at the Ft. Myer Old Chapel was held and interment was in Section 60 off of Bradley Road. The remains of Thomas Alan Gopp were recently returned to his family and he now rests in honored glory in the Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery in Rittman, Ohio. He became the first Missing in Action serviceman to be buried at this National Veterans Cemetery which marked its first anniversary on 19 June 2001. The remains of John Benedict Nahan III were laid to rest in the Church Cemetery of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Watson Township, Michigan, on Saturday, 18 August 2001. The remains of James Patrick McGrath were laid to rest with Jack Wolpe at Arlington National Cemetery on Friday, November 9, 2001.

Below is photo of Gopp's 'In Loving Memory' cemetery marker in Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery in Rittman, Ohio. It is undetermined whether this is his current burial stone or if they renewed his stone when he was buried here in 2001. In 1967, Thomas was survived by his mother and father, Grace R and Russell G Gopp, New London Ohio, two sisters, Mrs. Claire Kruger of Wellington and Barbara Ellen, at home, and a brother, Russell G. Jr, also at home with his parents.

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