Ottawa County Michigan

Fuite, Ronald James
Army Private 1st class

Ronald James Fuite, age 30, from West Olive, Michigan, Ottawa county.

Service era: Vietnam

Parent: Helen and Lester Fuite

School: Grand Haven High (1967)

Date of death: Saturday, February 16, 1980
Death details: Ron was wounded in action Jan. 15, 1970. He suffered “a fragment wound to the head.” Ron returned to the states in 1970. He was quadriplegic and unable to speak. He spent the next 10 years in veterans hospitals, mostly in Battle Creek and Ann Arbor. Two year after his death, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated. His name was added in 1990.

Cemetery: Grand Haven, Michigan

Source: National Archives, findagrave.com, Detroit Free Press (1980)

Overweg, Roger Dale
Army Sergeant

Roger Dale Overweg, age 20, from Zeeland, Michigan, Ottawa county.

Parents: Gerritt H. Overweg

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Saturday, September 19, 1970
Death details: Hostile, killed, South Vietnam

Source: National Archives, UPI (1970)

Mathews, Charles Donald
Army Specialist 4

Charles Donald Mathews, age 20, from Grand Haven, Michigan, Ottawa county.

Spouse: Gail H. Matthews

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Saturday, September 12, 1970
Death details: Hostile, killed, South Vietnam

Source: National Archives, Burlington Daily Times News (1970)

Nieboer, Douglas Alan
Navy Seaman

Douglas Alan Nieboer, age 20, from Holland, Michigan, Ottawa county.

Parents: Keith A. Neiboer

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Friday, September 11, 1970
Death details: Hostile, killed, South Vietnam

Source: National Archives, Associated Press (1970)

Boeskool, Robert Ray
Army Corporal

Robert Ray Boeskool, age 19, from Holland, Michigan, Ottawa county.

Parents: Ray Boeskool

Service era: Vietnam
Schools: West Ottawa High (1969)

Date of death: Saturday, June 6, 1970
Death details: Killed in South Vietnam when a booby trap exploded while he was setting up a defensive position.

Source: National Archives, Holland Evening Sentinel (1970)

Moore, Ernest Lawrence
Army Sergeant

Ernest Lawrence Moore, age 21, from Spring Lake, Michigan, Ottawa county.

Parents: Andrew Moore
Spouse: Candace (Bellaire)

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Sunday, May 10, 1970
Death details: Hostile, killed, Cambodia

Source: National Archives, Holland Evening Sentinel (1970)

VanWieren, Jack Alan
Army Specialist 4

Jack Alan VanWieren, age 20, from Holland, Michigan, Ottawa county.

Parents: John Van Wieren

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Saturday, February 28, 1970
Death details: Hostile, killed, South Vietnam

Source: National Archives, Associated Press (1970)

Koning, Douglas Lee
Army Sergeant

Douglas Lee Koning, age 24, from Holland, Michigan, Ottawa county.

Parents: Willard Koning
Spouse: Marcia (Mulder)

Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Holland Christian High (1964), Kendall School of Design in Grand Rapids (1968)

Date of death: Monday, February 2, 1970
Death details: Hostile, killed, South Vietnam

Source: National Archives, Holland Evening Sentinel (1970)

Medaris, Rick Eggburtus
Army Staff sergeant

Rick Eggburtus Medaris from Jenison, Michigan, Ottawa county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Tuesday, November 4, 1969
Death details: On September 5, 1973, the Central Identification Laboratory–Thailand (CILT, now DPAA) identified the remains of Staff Sergeant Rick Eggburtus Medaris, missing from the Vietnam War.

Staff Sergeant Medaris entered the U.S. Army from Michigan and was a member of the 155th Assault Helicopter Company. On November 4, 1969, he was a passenger aboard a UH-1H Iroquois (tail number 68-16057) on a routine administrative flight over central Vietnam. The flight encountered inclement weather while over Lam Dong Province and crashed, killing SSG Medaris. A ground search team was unable to locate the crash site and SSG Medaris’ remains could not be recovered at the time. In 1973, U.S. investigators located the crash site and recovered personal artifacts, aircraft wreckage, and human remains, and were able to identify SSG Medaris from these remains.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Knoll, Robert Edwin
Army Staff sergeant

Robert Edwin Knoll, age 20, from Holland, Michigan, Ottawa county.

Service era: Vietnam
Military history: 35th Infantry Regiment

Date of death: Friday, September 27, 1968
Death details: Hostile, killed, South Vietnam

Source: National Archives, 35th Infantry Regiment Association

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