Charles E. Beals

Rafterman

Charles E. Beals

Missing For

Name: Charles Elbert Beals
D.O.B: 27 Sept. 1948
Home of Record: French Lick, IN
Date of Loss: 08 July 1971
Country Of Loss: South Vietnam
Coordinates Of Loss: 162643N / 107114E
Status:Killed / BNR
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: Ground
Unit: Company D, 2nd Btn, 506th Inf., 101st Airborne

Name: Charles Elbert Beals
Rank/Branch: E4/US Army
Unit: Company D, 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division
Date of Birth: 27 September 1949 (Union City IN)
Home City of Record: French Lick IN
Date of Loss: 07 July 1970
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 162643N 107114E (YD335193)
Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered
Category: 2
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: Ground
Other Personnel in Incident: Lewis Howard (missing)

REMARKS:

SYNOPSIS: On July 7, 1970, SP4 Lewis Howard, point man, and PFC Charles E.
Beals, assistant machine gunner, were members of Company D, 2nd Battalion,
506th Infantry when their platoon was engaged in a fire fight in South Vietnam.
Their position at that time was in Thua Thien Province, near the border of
Quang Tri Province to the north.

As the platoon was advancing uphill on a suspected enemy location, an unknown
enemy force fired at least 3 rocket-propelled grenades (RPG) at the point
element. The platoon leader saw that Howard was hit by the first round. Beals
was wounded in the leg when the enemy first opened fire, however, before he
could be moved to cover, he was hit by at least 3 rounds of machine gun fire in
the back and the neck.

Attempts to maneuver up to the point position to retrieve Beals and Howard met
with heavy enemy attack, and the rest of the platoon were forced to withdraw,
leaving the two men behind.

After 6 hours, the enemy was still firing machine gun and rifle fire over the
area. The intense enemy fire made any further attempts to recover Beals and
Howard impossible, and the platoon withdrew from the area.

Beals was thought to be dead because of the number of rounds that hit him. He
was classified Killed in Action, Body Not Recovered. The extent of Howard's
wounds were unknown, and he was classified Missing In Action. There is a strong
probability that the enemy knows the fate of both men. If they survived, it is
very likely that they were captured.

Nearly 2500 Americans remain missing, prisoner or unaccounted for from the
Vietnam war. Since American involvement in the war ended in 1975, almost 10,000
reports have been received by the U.S. Government relating to the missing. Most
authorities believe there are hundreds of them still alive.

Whether Beals and Howard survived to be captured that day in July 1970 is not
known. What seems certain, however, is that we must bring home any Americans
being held against their will.