Dennis W. Klein was born on September 24, 1947, and grew up in Middletown, NJ, where he attended Middletown High School. He later moved to Keansburg, NJ. His home of record is Keansburg, NJ. He had a sister, brother and a twin brother. His father had died and Dennis took on the role as male head of the household. Dennis worked part time at Midland Glass in Cliffwood Beach. His dream was to be a disc jockey and he had a collection of 45 records and was an expert on musical groups of the 1950s. He had a sweetheart who was his true love.

Klein enlisted in the US Army and attained the rank of Specialist 4 (SP4). He was assigned to the 25th Infantry, 588th Engineers. He was stationed in Tay Ninh where he helped build barracks and worked as a radio communications engineer. When he had served for 11 months, so close to finishing his term overseas, his mother had become quite ill. Dennis’ sister attributes their mother’s illness to the stress of having a son in Vietnam. Dennis’ mother requested him to return to help take care of the family. Dennis wrote a letter to her begging her to allow him to finish his tour. Dennis felt he was helping South Vietnamese children and families, and he wanted to continue making a difference in their lives.

He was killed in action on March 6, 1968, in South Vietnam, by mortar attack. An attempt was made to helicopter him to medical safety. He had only 40 days left until he would have returned stateside.

Klein’s hometown of Keansburg named a court in a new playground in his honor.

Sources: Temple Shalom and NJVVMF.
12/17/2024