Lt. Col. A. Peter Dewey
The first instance of an American serviceman killed and Missing in action in
Viet Nam occurred on September 26th, 1945. When
Lt. Col. Albert Peter Dewey, of the
Office of Strategic Services (OSS), an
adviser to the Viet Minh forces in the war against Japan, and head of the local OSS
Special Operations Branch (SO) was killed in action.
Lt. Col. Dewey was killed, by Viet Minh troops, near the Saigon golf course while driving in a jeep on his way to the Saigon airport. Reports later indicated that his death was due to a case of mistaken identity -- he had been mistaken for a Frenchman.
See the Arlington National Cemetery Website.
Lt. Col. Dewey was the son of
Congressman Charles S. Dewey (R) Ill.
Documents relating to Lt. Col. Dewey's death were acquired through the Freedom of Information Act.
Last update 12/05/07