Duane Rinehardt Passig

Duane Rinehardt Passig grew on his family dairy farm north of DeWitt in Delmar. He graduated from DeWitt Central Community High School in the class of 1966. As a young man he was involved with FFA and played on the basketball team. He was drafted by the Army in fall after graduation. He completed his military training at Fort Leonard Wood, Fort Polk, and Fort Benning. In 1967, before deploying to Southeast Asia, Passig was married. He began his 12 month tour in the fall of 1967 and was assigned to the 336th Aviation Company as a chopper door gunner. SP4 Passig was killed on March 14, 1968 due to wounds inflicted by the enemy while serving as a door gunner on a UH-1 Huey helicopter in the Phong Dinh Province, South Vietnam. He was 20 years old at the time of his death. His remains were laid to rest at the Elmwood Cemetery in DeWitt.