| Birth: |
Nov. 30, 1949
Monmouth
Warren County
Illinois, USA |
| Death: |
Mar. 10, 1968
Tam Kỳ
Quang Nam, Vietnam |
PFC Almaguer#2380170
MOS:3531 Motor Vehicle Operator.
Benjamin was born and raised in Monmouth.He
had 5 sisters and 4 brothers.
He enlisted in the Marines 13 September 1967,
at the Des Moines Recruiting Office in IA.
Benjamin enlisted before his 18th birthday.
Arriving in Vietnam 20 February 1968,he was
assigned to a machine gun team in 1st Platoon
of Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion,27th Marine
Regiment,1st Marine Division.
Benjamin died as a result of a gunshot wound
to the body from an accidental discharge from
an M-16 rifle,by another Marine while on a
combat patrol.
Official cause of was accidental homicide.
Benjamin was single and served his country for
5 months and 25 days.KIA#23,940.
He had been in Vietnam for 18 days.
Benjamin was 18 years,1 month and 11 days old.
Survived by his parents Rudolph G & Ellen E
Almaguer of 867 W 6th St, Monmouth,IL and his sisters and brothers.
His grandparents: Benjamin and Refugia
Almaguer, and James and Frances Fisher.
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Burial:
Saint Marys Cemetery
Monmouth
Warren County
Illinois, USA |
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Sylvia Smith (Miller)
As cousins of the same age, Ben and I had so many great times growing up together. We spent LOTS of time at our grandparents' house up to all kinds of outdoor fun. There was a climbing tree in our grandparents yard that all of us kids spent plenty of time in. We'd challenge each other to go as high as we could. One of my clearest memories of Ben in that tree wasn't necessarily a good one for him, but certainly memorable. Once school was out, Ben took off his shoes for the summer. So that's how he climbed trees, as well as how he jumped out of them. One, time, jumping down, he landed directly on a board with a nail sticking up! Yowser!! But he was so tough that he didn't let it phase him. Just washed off the blood and went on his way. I have such fond memories of all of our cousin time, usually accompanied by my brother Larry and his brother Rudy, who were our cohorts as kids.
Today, March 10th, is the date of his death, so I post this as a tribute to my fun-loving cousin, Ben (I called him Benny). And here are a couple of photos that his sister Reina shared with me. Rest in peace, Ben
Too cool for school, right?
Ben and his parents, Rudy and Ellen.
Some of Ben's brothers and sisters (Ben was the oldest).
Jane Bowen (Van Overmeeren)
Thanks Sylvia for the memory of Ben. He was always so polite and in a good mood. Jane