Bio, Hewitt, Samuel E.

HEWITT, SAMUEL EUGENE

Remains Identified. 2010

Name: Samuel Eugene Hewitt
Branch/Rank: United States Marine Corps/E2
Unit: L/3/9 3 MAR DIV
Date of Birth: 26 February 1948
Home City of Record: WALKERTON IN
Date of Loss: 23 March 1966
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 155700 North 1081700 East
Status (in 1973): Presumptive Finding of Death
Category: 4
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: GROUND
Missions:
Other Personnel in Incident:
Refno:

Source: Compiled by P.O.W. NETWORK from one or more of the following: raw
data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA
families, published sources, interviews and CACCF = Combined Action
Combat Casualty File. 2020

REMARKS:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CACCF/QUANG NAM

                                                        [r0286.87]
                             PROJECT X
                        SUMMARY SELECTION RATIONALE

NAME: HEWITT, Samuel PFC, USMC

OFFICIAL STATUS: DEAD, BODY NOT RECOVERED

CASE SUMMARY: SEE ATTACHED

RATIONALE FOR SELECTION: When last seen PFC Hewitt was alive and in good
health. No correlated reports of death have been received since his
disappearance.

REFNO: 0286 20 Apr 76

1. On 22 March 1966 PFC Samuel Hewitt was a rifleman with Co L, 3d
Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment in South Vietnam. His unit had been on
patrol prior to this date, and was at this time in a relatively secure area
for a rest. Because of a defect, PFC had turned his weapon into the armory,
and had borrowed his squad leader's M-79 grenade launcher, stating that he
was "going to see somebody." (It was mandatory that a weapon be carried at
all times.) At about 1800 hours PFC Hewitt was seen going toward the
vicinity of the latrine, and it was assumed that he was going to take a
slower as he had a towel with him. The latrine was located about 50 meters
from the perimeter wire. PFC Hewitt had no assigned duties during the day
of 22 March, however, he was assigned to a listening post for that night.
PFC Hewitt could not be located at 1900 hours 2 and at 1930 hours, (22
March), and on 23 March a search of the company area was conducted without
success. It was learned through investigation that PFC Hewitt was a "loner"
and had a tendency on previous occasions to wander away from his squad. His
unit reported him missing on 23 March 1966. (Ref 1)

2. JCRC was -unable to develop any additional leads or information on this
case. This individual's name and identifying data were turned over to
Four-Party Joint Military Team with a request for any information
available. No response was forthcoming. PFC is currently carried in the
status of Dead, Body Not Recovered.

REFERENCES USED

1. RPT (U), 3rd Marine Division, 1 Apr 66.

                 * National Alliance of Families Home Page

-----------------------------------------------------------

UPDATE: November 3, 2010

AMERICAN IDENTIFIED: There are now 1,707 Americans listed as missing and unaccounted-for
from the Vietnam War.

On November 2^nd, the Defense POW/MIA Office (DPMO) posted the news that the remains of one
US Marine had been recovered. He has now been identified as SSgt Samuel E. Hewitt, USMC,
listed as MIA in South Vietnam from a ground incident that occurred March 23, 1966. His remains
were recovered June 24, 2010, and identified September 20, 2010, with notice just released by DPMO
with the family’s agreement. Several others have been identified, but not yet announced by DPMO as
they are awaiting family notification by the Service Casualty Offices.

The number of Americans returned and identified since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975
is 876; another 63 US personnel, recovered post-incident and identified before the end of the war,
bring the total to 939.
Of the 1,707 Americans POW/MIAs from the Vietnam War, our unreturned veterans, 90% were
lost in Vietnam or in areas of Laos and Cambodia under Vietnam’s wartime control: Vietnam –
1,306 (VN-478, VS-828); Laos – 335; Cambodia – 59; Peoples Republic of China territorial waters –
7. Over 450 are considered over-water losses.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Salute to Marine ends Vietnam-era mystery
Akron Beacon Journal
The answer miraculously arrived in October when the Joint POW MIA Accounting Command called.
Sgt. Hewitt's remains were found. He was coming home. ...

============================================================

Hewitt's remains were identified last fall and were buried in a ceremony attended by
about 500 in October in Medina, Ohio, where his mother and sister now live.......

Conflict
Service
Status
Date of Accounting

VIETNAM WAR
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS
Accounted For
10/27/2010

On October 27, 2010, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC, now DPAA) identified the remains of Staff Sergeant Samuel Eugene Hewitt, missing from the Vietnam War.

Staff Sergeant Hewitt joined the U.S. Marine Corps from Indiana and was a member of Company L, 3rd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division. On March 22, 1966, SSgt Hewitt left his unit's secured encampment near the village of Viem Dong in Vietnam; investigators later learned that he was ambushed and killed by Viet Cong while visiting a house near the encampment. Once he failed to return to camp, a search party was launched but failed to find any signs of him. In 1992, a joint U.S./Vietnamese team searched for his remains, and in 2010, an excavation of his likely loss area finally recovered remains that were forensically identified as those of SSgt Hewitt.

Staff Sergeant Hewitt is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

If you are a family member of this serviceman, you may contact your casualty office representative to learn more about your service member.

SSgt SAMUEL EUGENE HEWITT

Unit LCO 3 BN 9 MAR 3 MAR DIV
Historical Country of Loss
South Vietnam
Current Country of Loss
VIETNAM
Home of Record IN