Master Sergeant Chester Melvin Ovnand (also known with surname Ovnard) (September 8, 1914 – July 8, 1959) was the first American casualty of the Vietnam War killed at the hands of the Viet Cong. His name is the second listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Chester M. Ovnand (also called "Chet") was from Thief River Falls, Minnesota and was born to Engebret Ovnand and Maybelle Welch. Army records conflict as to what his actual name was—Charles Melvin Ovnand or Chester Melvin Ovnard—though that the latter appears on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is possibly an indication of general consensus among the Memorial's planners.
On March 1, 1940 he and his wife Catherine Irene Reynard (June, 1917 - November, 1994) bore a daughter, Margret Ann Ovnand. Five years after her birth Chester Ovnand left for Copperas Cove, Texas, where he met his second wife Mildred, who forbid him from making contact with his daughter. He returned once when Margret was twelve before leaving for war.
He served 1943-1945 in WWII, 1950-1953 in the Korean war and 1958-1959 in Vietnam.
The Viet Cong attacked the mess hall where he and five officers were watching the movie The Tattered Dress. M/Sgt Ovnand switched on the lights to change to the next reel, when VC guerrillas poked their weapons through the windows and sprayed the room with automatic weapons fire. M/Sgt Ovnand was hit with several 9mm rounds. He immediately switched the lights off and headed to the top of the stairs, where he was able to turn on the exterior flood lights. He died from his wounds on the stairs. Major Buis, at that time, was crawling towards the kitchen doors. When the exterior flood lights came on, he must have seen an attacker coming through the kitchen doors. He got up and rushed towards the attacker, but was only able to cover 15 feet before being fatally hit from behind. His actions startled the attacker who was about to throw his satchel charge through the door. The attacker's satchel charge had already been activated and his moment of hesitation caused him to blow himself up. Two South Vietnamese guards that were on duty that night were also killed by the Viet Cong. The wounded were Captain Howard Boston (MAAG 7) and the Vietnamese cook's eight-year-old son.
"First on the Wall", M/Sgt Ray Bows, U.S. Army Retired, 2012
January 12, 2023
chester, ovnand, this, article, does, cite, sources, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, september, 2021, learn, when, rem. This article does not cite any sources Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Chester M Ovnand news newspapers books scholar JSTOR September 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message Master Sergeant Chester Melvin Ovnand also known with surname Ovnard September 8 1914 July 8 1959 was the first American casualty of the Vietnam War killed at the hands of the Viet Cong His name is the second listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Chester Melvin OvnandBorn 1914 09 08 September 8 1914Thief River Falls Minnesota U S DiedJuly 8 1959 1959 07 08 aged 44 Bien Hoa South VietnamAllegiance United StatesService wbr branch United States ArmyRankMaster SergeantBattles warsWorld War IIKorean WarVietnam WarThe names of U S Army M Sgt Chester M Ovnand and Maj Dale R Buis are inscribed on Panel 1E of the Vietnam War Memorial WallLife and career EditChester M Ovnand also called Chet was from Thief River Falls Minnesota and was born to Engebret Ovnand and Maybelle Welch Army records conflict as to what his actual name was Charles Melvin Ovnand or Chester Melvin Ovnard though that the latter appears on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is possibly an indication of general consensus among the Memorial s planners On March 1 1940 he and his wife Catherine Irene Reynard June 1917 November 1994 bore a daughter Margret Ann Ovnand Five years after her birth Chester Ovnand left for Copperas Cove Texas where he met his second wife Mildred who forbid him from making contact with his daughter He returned once when Margret was twelve before leaving for war He served 1943 1945 in WWII 1950 1953 in the Korean war and 1958 1959 in Vietnam On July 8 1959 he and Major Dale R Buis visiting from MAAG 5 were killed at Bien Hoa 20 miles northeast of Saigon He was part of the Military Assistance Advisory Group 7 sent to train the South Vietnamese army The Viet Cong attacked the mess hall where he and five officers were watching the movie The Tattered Dress M Sgt Ovnand switched on the lights to change to the next reel when VC guerrillas poked their weapons through the windows and sprayed the room with automatic weapons fire M Sgt Ovnand was hit with several 9mm rounds He immediately switched the lights off and headed to the top of the stairs where he was able to turn on the exterior flood lights He died from his wounds on the stairs Major Buis at that time was crawling towards the kitchen doors When the exterior flood lights came on he must have seen an attacker coming through the kitchen doors He got up and rushed towards the attacker but was only able to cover 15 feet before being fatally hit from behind His actions startled the attacker who was about to throw his satchel charge through the door The attacker s satchel charge had already been activated and his moment of hesitation caused him to blow himself up Two South Vietnamese guards that were on duty that night were also killed by the Viet Cong The wounded were Captain Howard Boston MAAG 7 and the Vietnamese cook s eight year old son See also EditRichard B Fitzgibbon Jr Harry Griffith Cramer Jr Dale R BuisFurther reading Edit Death at Intermission Time Time July 20 1959 First on the Wall M Sgt Ray Bows U S Army Retired 2012 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Chester M Ovnand amp oldid 1129754001, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
