Obituaries

Robert J Vargas from Glen Ellyn, IL

"I am fortunate to have known Dave for over 25 years. We met at an Army reunion (as we both had served in Viet Nam, 9th Infantry Division, 2-60 Infantry) and we both were active in VFW Post 2377 in Glendale Heights. As both of us were history buffs, I assisted Dave in publishing "Land of Nine Dragons" (a history of the 2-60 infantry); a book that he was still active in updating up to his death.His caring and openness to fellow veterans, both past and current, was one of his many attributes. He had a great sense of humor, an attention to detail, and always willing to lend a hand.I will greatly miss Dave. May he rest in the peace of God's mercy and love."

Mike Hanlon from Batavia, IL

"My condolences to Dave’s family. I met Dave about 10 years ago, when he had finished the first edition of his book, “In the Land of Nine Dragons.” He was a great guy with a wide range of interests, among them military history, politics, sports, travel, European soccer and English cathedrals. By far his greatest passion—aside from his children and grandchildren—was the Vietnam experiences described in his book. Dave was a Ranger officer (a captain, I think) in Vietnam, and his goal was to give credit to each of the several thousand men who served in the 2nd Battalion, 60th Infantry, 9th Infantry Division at any point during its years there. It’s an incredible work that took him thousands and thousands of hours, and I’m only sorry that Dave passed shortly before the second edition of the book was to be finished. He went far beyond just a list of names (which, owing to poor recordkeeping by the government, was a long-term trial in itself), adding war stories and a day-by-day summary of the entire deployment. It is, according to one Army general, “the most detailed battalion level history I have seen. This book relates not only facts and figures in fascinating detail … it also communicates first-hand the very personal recollections and remembrances of events in the course of the Battalion’s time in Vietnam. This is the stuff of going to war and the soul of warfare as experienced by the people who actually fight wars, the blood and guts of the art of being a soldier in combat.” Future historians and students of the war will find this an incredibly rich resource. Dave also played a leading role in the establishment of the Coffelt Database of Vietnam Casualties (http://www.coffeltdatabase.org), the most complete listing of the almost 59,000 American soldiers, Marines, airmen, sailors and Coast Guardsmen who were wounded or killed in Vietnam. Dave would drop by my office every few weeks to discuss how the second edition was coming along or politics or military history, or he’d tell me about an upcoming trip to Australia or a jaunt through Germany with his son. My first grandson was born last summer, and early on he had some health problems. Every time Dave dropped by, his first question was “How’s your grandson doing?” I’ll miss him. Rest in peace, Dave."