The Wall › Panel 48W › Ohio › John Lester Began
JOHN LESTER BEGAN
Private First Class · U.S. Army
April 10, 1945 – August 16, 1968
Service recordJohn Lester Began, of Elyria, Ohio, served as a Private First Class in the U.S. Army. He died on August 16, 1968, in Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam, at age 23. His name is inscribed on Panel 48W, Line 22 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 48W · Line 22
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. Army
- Rank
- Private First Class (PFC)
- Service
- Drafted (Selective Service)
- Occupation
- Tactical Wire Operations Specialist (36K)
- Unit (as recorded)
- 1 CAV DIV AIRMOBILE
- Born
- April 10, 1945
- Home of record
- Elyria, Ohio (Lorain County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- August 16, 1968
- Age
- 23
- Province
- Quang Tri
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Killed in Action
- Circumstance
- Small Arms Fire
Context · from the records
What was happening
55 names on the Wall carry the date August 16, 1968; 31 of them were lost in Quảng Trị Province. In August 1968, 1,313 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), his unit in the record, lost 64 of its members that month.
Also on Panel 48W, Line 22
- JEROME BELLStaff Sergeant · August 16, 1968
- LURAL LEE BLEVINS IIISpecialist Four · August 16, 1968
- DAVID RICHARD BOEVERPrivate First Class · August 16, 1968
- THOMAS WAYNE MUSICKLance Corporal · August 16, 1968
Same unit, same day
- GEORGE ROGERS ANDERSONCorporal · Panel 48W, Line 21
- ROBERT MILTON ARNOLD JRSpecialist Four · Panel 48W, Line 21
- DARREL EMERSON BARNHOUSESergeant · Panel 48W, Line 21
- DAVID RICHARD BOEVERPrivate First Class · Panel 48W, Line 22
- GARY DEAN BOWLINGSpecialist Four · Panel 48W, Line 23
- ROBERT MILTON CRAVENS JRSpecialist Four · Panel 48W, Line 24
- JOHN EDWARD CUMBRYPrivate First Class · Panel 48W, Line 24
- CHARLES MCRAE HARDYPrivate First Class · Panel 48W, Line 26
- OTIS LAMONT HARTRYPrivate First Class · Panel 48W, Line 26
- DAN DAVID HAYESSergeant · Panel 48W, Line 26
- CHARLES DAVID SONNKALB JRWarrant Officer 1 · Panel 48W, Line 31
- JERRY LEE WILSONSpecialist Four · Panel 48W, Line 31
From Elyria
- JAMES DAVID SMITHPrivate First Class · September 22, 1966
- JAMES CALVIN WHITMOREPrivate First Class · November 9, 1967
- MICHAEL DRENNEN MILBURNLance Corporal · February 6, 1968
- TROY TONY THREETPrivate First Class · February 10, 1968
- GEORGE WESLEY DEJARNETTSpecialist Four · February 29, 1968
- DONNIE STANLEY KEGGPrivate First Class · May 1, 1968
- NORMAN JONES JRPrivate First Class · June 18, 1968
- WILLIAM EARL FOSTER JRSpecialist Four · September 12, 1968
- CALVIN KERMIT COONLance Corporal · September 18, 1968
- JOSEPH GEORGE AMBROSIOSpecialist Four · September 27, 1968
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.