lest we forget

OVERSTREET, DAVID DEWAYNE

Rank / Branch:

HOSPITAL CORPMAN PETTY OFFICER HM3, U.S. NAVY

Date Of Birth:

1946-10-07

Country Of Loss:

SOUTH VIETNAM

Status:

HOSTILE, SMALL ARMS FIRE

Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground:

GROUND

Other:

NOT MARRIED

Unit:

3RD MARINE DIVISION

Date Of Loss:

1969-03-23

Loss Coordinates:

QUANG TRI

Catagory:

BODY RECOVERED

Awards & Decorations:

SEE BIO

VETERAN HAGI0GRAPHY

OVERSTREET, DAVID DEWAYNE, CORPMAN HM3, U.S. NAVY, SAN ANGELO, TOM GREEN COUNTY, TEXAS

AWARDS AND DECORATIONS

COMBAT MEDIC BADGE, PURPLE HEART, NATIIONAL DEFENSE SERVICE MEDAL, VIETNAM SERVICE MEDAL, VIETNAM CROSS OF GALLANGRY WITH PALM, VIETNAM CAMPAIGN MEDAL, MARINE CORP COMBAT ACTION RIBBON

BIOGRAPHY

David Dewayne Overstreet was a native of Abernathy, Texas. He was born in Gorman, Texas. He was the oldest of four children. His father, Delbert was a cotton farmer and worked at the cotton gin in Abernathy. David attended Abernathy schools. David lost his mother, Doris to tuberculosis in 1963, when he was in his mid-teens. He took over the responsibility of seeing after his two younger brothers and his sister while his father worked 16 hours a day in the cotton gin. David graduated from high school in Abernathy, Texas in 1965 and shortly thereafter the family moved to Eldorado, due to the health problems of their father. David moved to San Angelo and attended San Angelo State University for a year and found that he could not put himself through school and help with the family as well.
David enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1966 using his San Angelo address as his home of record. He completed recruit training at the San Diego Naval Training Center and then trained as a Corpman at the Coronado Naval Hospital. He began his tour in Vietnam on January 26, 1969, and was assigned as a Corpman with Headquarters and Service Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division. Each Corpman in the Service Company would be assigned to a specific company for medical support services but be carried administratively with the Headquarters and Service Company. On March 23, 1969, David was on patrol about 100 meters from the base camp at the Argonne Fire Support Base. The fire base was very close to the DMZ. Suddenly the lead elements of the patrol were engaged by small arms and automatic weapons. Four marines went down. HM3 Overstreet moved forward under intense fire and began to administer aid to the wounded marines. When he crawled to the side of one of the wounded marines, he felt he could not provide the proper medical assistance laying on the ground. Without regard to his personal safety, and understanding the risk and gravity of his actions, he chose to raise up and get on his knees to render aid to the marine. In doing this, he exposed himself to the machine gun fire. He was hit numerous times and died instantly. HM3 Overstreet had been in Vietnam two months when he was killed.
He was buried with full military honors in his hometown of Abernathy, Texas. He now rests in the IOOF City Cemetery. His father remarried and passed away in Eldorado in 1987. He is now buried near David next to David's mother.