The Wall › Panel 12W › Minnesota › Robert Dean Besch
ROBERT DEAN BESCH
Sergeant · U.S. Army
November 5, 1949 – April 9, 1970
Service recordRobert Dean Besch, of Thief River Falls, Minnesota, served as a Sergeant in the U.S. Army. He died on April 9, 1970, in Binh Dinh Province, South Vietnam, at age 20. His name is inscribed on Panel 12W, Line 111 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 12W · Line 111
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
- Sergeant (SGT)
- Service
- Drafted (Selective Service)
- Occupation
- Infantryman (11B)
- Unit (as recorded)
- 101 AIRBORNE DIV
- Born
- November 5, 1949
- Home of record
- Thief River Falls, Minnesota (Pennington County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- April 9, 1970
- Age
- 20
- Province
- Binh Dinh
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Killed in Action
- Circumstance
- Small Arms Fire
Context · from the records
What was happening
32 names on the Wall carry the date April 9, 1970; he was the only one lost in Bình Định Province that day. In April 1970, 730 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The 101st Airborne Division, his unit in the record, lost 108 of its members that month.
Also on Panel 12W, Line 111
- EDWARD HUGO BEYERSpecialist Four · April 9, 1970
- GARY LEE BROWNSergeant · April 9, 1970
- BRIAN LEE BUSHNELLAirman · April 9, 1970
- ANDREW ANTHONY HORCHAR JRPetty Officer Third Class · April 9, 1970
Same unit, same day
- HERMAN ALLEN CLAY JRCorporal · Panel 12W, Line 112
- DAVID PAUL EVANSSergeant · Panel 12W, Line 112
- JAMES DOYLE MACEStaff Sergeant · Panel 12W, Line 114
- JOHN BELK MULLISSergeant First Class · Panel 12W, Line 114
- LEROY NELSONCorporal · Panel 12W, Line 114
- CHARLES GEORGE SELMANCorporal · Panel 12W, Line 115
From Thief River Falls
- LYNN GREGORY HIEBERTSergeant · May 24, 1968
- LEROY CLAYTON MARTINSONSergeant First Class · December 8, 1968
- EDDIE LEE EVENSONSpecialist Four · March 23, 1969
- MYLES DALEN WESTMANCorporal · May 13, 1969
- NICHOLAS PIERRE LANNOYECorporal · October 10, 1969
- ROBERT JOHN SWEDENBURGSpecialist Four · December 9, 1969
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.