Anthony M. Hopkins, Who Fought in Vietnam and the Gulf, Dies at 70

This obituary is part of a series about people who have died in the coronavirus pandemic. Read about others here.

Anthony M. Hopkins was adrift after graduating from high school, working odd jobs in rural North Carolina. So in 1970, knowing that he was likely to be drafted anyway as the war in Vietnam dragged on, he followed in the footsteps of his father, a World War II veteran, and joined the Army.

He went through basic training at Fort Bragg, N.C., became a tank commander and soon found himself ambushed while on tank patrol in South Vietnam, his unit coming under enemy fire. Shrapnel from an explosion ripped open his left arm, an injury for which he received the Purple Heart.

Sergeant Hopkins later served in South Korea and in the Persian Gulf war, retiring with the rank of first sergeant and with two Bronze Stars for heroic action in combat.