David L Pearson (1946-1967)

PEARSON, STOKESBARY

Posted By: Mark Christian
Date: 7/15/2025 at 16:55:42

From Ames Daily Tribune, Ames, Story County, Iowa, January 9, 1967.

Maxwell youth war casualty

A Maxwell youth has become the first Story County soldier to lose his life in Vietnam.

The wife and parents of Spec. 4 David L. Pearson, 20, were notified Friday that Pearson was killed Jan. 5 when he was hit by hostile small arms fire.

Pearson's wife, the former Donna Stokesbary, of Colo, an employee of the Waterloo Recreation Commission, his father Dale, Maxwell, and his mother in Des Moines, were all notified by Department of Defense telegram Friday.

Pearson graduated from Maxwell High School in 1965 and worked in Des Moines before he enlisted in the U.S. Army in the fall of 1965.

He was married Aug. 27, 1966 at St. John's Lutheran Church in Des Moines.

After he was transferred overseas, Mrs. Pearson moved to Waterloo.

Funeral services will be announced by the CDooper Funeral Home, Maxwell.

From The Nevada Journal, Nevada, Story County, Iowa, January 7, 1967.

MAXWELL G.I. KILLED IN VIET NAM

The full and deadly impact of the distant war in Viet Nam was carried home today with the news of the death of the first Story County soldier.

Killed in action is Specialist-4 David L. Pearson, Maxwell. He was 20 years old. Pearson's wife in Waterloo, his father in Maxwell and his mother in Des Moines were notified Friday afternoon of the soldier's death in action in Viet Nam.

The telegram read:

Washington D.C.
"The Secretary of the Army has asked me to express his deepest regret that your son, Specialist 4 David L. Pearson, died in Viet Nam January 5, 1967. He was on a combat operation when hit by hostile small arms fire. Please accept my deepest sympathy. This confirms personal notification made by a representative of the Secretary of the Army.
Signed,
Kenneth G. Wickham
Major General

Pearson was a native of Maxwell. He graduated from high school there in the spring of 1965 after having taken part in football for two years, Future Farmers of America for two years, and was on the school newspaper staff.

The father of the deceased, Dale Pearson, said that his son worked for the Coca Cola company in Des Moines for about six months after he graduated and went into the service in the fall of 1965.

Pearson took his basic training at Ft. Lewis, Washington and came home for 14 days leave in August before shipping out to Viet Nam.

During his leave here he was married to Miss Donna Stokesbary of Colo in a ceremony at St. Johns Lutheran Church in Des Moines on August 27.

After her husband was sent overseas, Mrs. Pearson moved to Waterloo and took a job with the Waterloo Recreation Commission.

About 1:30 Friday afternoon relatives came for her at work to tell her that word of he husband's death had been received from the War Department.

Mrs. Pearson told the Journal that she had received a letter from her husband that very morning in which he said there was a chance that his remaining eight months of duty would be cut to five months and he could come home.

She said he wrote very little of his experiences there but that had written about "going out on patrols and doing guard duty."

The young soldier's body will be flown back to the United States in seven to ten days, his widow was told. Cooper Funeral Home at Maxwell will be in charge of the arrangements.

One or two Story County soldiers have been reported as wounded in the Viet Nam war, put Pearson's is the first to be lost in action.

Submitter Note: Birth year taken from other sources.