The Wall › Panel 5E › California › Dennis Donald Backen
DENNIS DONALD BACKEN
Private First Class · U.S. Marine Corps
August 8, 1947 – August 24, 1965
Service recordDennis Donald Backen, of San Bernardino, California, served as a Private First Class in the U.S. Marine Corps. He died on August 24, 1965, in South Vietnam, at age 18. His name is inscribed on Panel 5E, Line 34 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 5E · Line 34
Names are inscribed in the order of loss, starting at Panel 1E at the apex and ending at Panel 1W. At the Memorial, find the panel number at the base and count down from the top line.
Remember
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Service
- Branch
- U.S. Marine Corps
- Rank
- Private First Class (PFC)
- Service
- Regular
- Born
- August 8, 1947
- Home of record
- San Bernardino, California (San Bernardino County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- August 24, 1965
- Age
- 18
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Non-hostile
- Category
- Accident
- Circumstance
- Aircraft Crash — Passenger (MC)
- Incident
- Airplane Crash Hong Kong To Danang Vs
Context · from the records
What was happening
61 names on the Wall carry the date August 24, 1965. In August 1965, 179 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
He died in South Vietnam while Operation Starlite was under way. Operation Starlite (18–24 August 1965), on the Van Tuong peninsula south of Chu Lai, was the first regimental-size U.S. ground battle of the war. Marines attacked the 1st Viet Cong Regiment by helicopter, amphibious landing and on foot. The record gives the date and branch of service but not the exact place.
Also on Panel 5E, Line 34
- TOMMY EDWARD HILLPetty Officer Second Class · February 14, 1966
- JOHN RUSSELL HILLSMajor · February 14, 1966
- WILLIAM ARTHUR HOOS JRCaptain · February 14, 1966
- JOSEPH DANIEL JARRELLPrivate First Class · February 14, 1966
- CARLOS DENNIS JELKSPrivate First Class · February 14, 1966
From San Bernardino
- ELGIN LEROY STIRLINGPrivate First Class · July 12, 1965
- FRANK COSME ALCANTARLance Corporal · September 26, 1965
- ROY HOWARD BOWLINGCaptain · November 17, 1965
- FEDERICO SILVALance Corporal · December 18, 1965
- RICHARD RANGELSpecialist Four · February 23, 1966
- LOUIS PETER HERNANDEZPrivate First Class · March 5, 1966
- DAVID LEE FORCESecond Lieutenant · March 9, 1966
- GABRIEL GALLEGOSPrivate First Class · June 20, 1966
- AGAPITO MOLINA JRCorporal · July 27, 1966
- JOHN BORGES LEALPrivate First Class · November 16, 1966
Source. U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Casualty Analysis System, Vietnam Conflict Extract Data File (as of April 29, 2008), Records of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Record Group 330, National Archives (NAID 2240992). Panel and line as recorded in that file. This page presents the official record and its historical context; no biography has been written for him yet. See something wrong? Report a correction.