Sexton, David Mason
Army Sergeant

David Mason Sexton, age 22, from Huron, Ohio, Erie county. Their last known residence was in Huron.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Monday, March 15, 1971
Death details: Sergeant David Mason Sexton, who joined the U.S. Army from Ohio, served with B Battery, 5th Battalion, 4th Artillery Regiment, 1st Infantry Brigade. On March 15, 1971, he was serving as the gun chief of an M-109 155mm self-propelled howitzer during an early morning fire mission. He was the only man at the gun when the breech block blew off, causing a 155mm round and/or powder to explode and the gun to be consumed by flames. During an immediate muster of B Battery, Sergeant Sexton was the only man determined to be missing. His remains have not been recovered. Today, Sergeant Sexton is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Based on all information available, DPAA assessed the individual’s case to be in the analytical category of Non-recoverable.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency