David R. Beattie was born on May 6, 1945, to Walter and Alice Beattie. He had one sister, Dale. His home of record is Neptune, NJ.
Beattie was signed into the US Marine Corps by his parents in 1965 at the end of his junior year at Neptune High School. He attained the rank of Private First Class (PFC).
Beattie served with the 1st Battalion/26th Marines, 3rd Marine Division, Delta Company, Battalion Landing Team. He was killed by enemy fire near Saigon on September 18, 1966, during Operation Deckhouse IV/Prairie.
Beattle left behind, a wife and unborn son, but also his parents, Walter & Alice Beattie, and his sister, Dale. Before his short life ended he received the Purple Heart.
Dale had this to say about her brother:
“When my brother died at such a young age in Vietnam, he left behind a wife of one year and an unborn son. In the many years since his death, I have been unable to keep contact with his son. His mom remarried when the son, David, was three years old. David was adopted by his step-dad. I have seen my nephew four times. He is very much like my brother, tall, handsome, and fun. My brother would be proud of him and I wish that his death and all the others never happened. What a different life we all would have had.”
The David Beattie Marine Scholarship Fund was established in his name at Neptune High School.
David Beattie wrote the following letter to the editor and it appeared in the Asbury Park Press on December 7, 1964:
On December 7, 1941, a sunny Sunday morning, Japanese forces launched a surprise attack on a large portion of American’s Navy. They destroyed the lives of twelve hundred men like me and the young men that are in college around us today. They destroyed millions of dollars worth of United States equipment and wounded many, many more of our servicemen. They also dared to attack United States property.
Some of the men that were wounded and many that weren’t, plus millions more men and women went on, even after a tremendous setback, to win a victory over a terrible foe. Women and children worked together on war machinery, ships, supplies, etc. while their men were giving their lives to win a foot of ground on some place like Guadalcanal.
Nobody then asked why we were fighting. They didn’t say “to the devil” with the Filipinos. They did only exactly what should be done today: they got together and worked for a victory.
The men of World War II fought to preserve something. So did the men of Lexington and Concord in the 1770’s fight to gain something. They fought for an ideal that was handed down to us.
Now, here we are doing amazing things to this ideal of freedom and liberty. We demonstrate, riot, write letters to newspapers, and speak on radios and soap boxes. Don’t fight! Pull out! Let them fight for themselves… Don’t send my little boy. I’m a pacifist! My religion says no!
Many people of America are doing their best to put these ideas into the heads of the rest of the population in our country.
There is absolutely no doubt that South Vietnam is only a stepping stone to the rest of the free world. I’m thankful that people have fought and given their lives so that I can write this letter, work where I want, go where I want and worship as I wish.
Sources: Dale Pugliese (sister) and NJVVMF.
12/17/2024
