Frederick Kenneth Deaver

Frederick Kenneth Deaver was born and raised in Boone. Deaver joined the Marine Corps on his 17th birthday, April 3, 1963. He read tons of war comics and assembled many airplane models during his childhood, with the dream of becoming a Marine. In his teens, he had a bread route he seemed to enjoy. Each payday he would bring home a cream or fruit pie to share with the family. Other times when money was tight, he would help our parents by buying shoes for his younger siblings. He frequently mowed lawns in the summer or shoveled snow in the winter for the older neighbors and took baked goods as payment. Prior to his death on August 23, 1966, he had written that he wanted to meet a lady pen pal from Michigan, he had saved for a car, and he wanted to complete his high school education. His four-year enlistment would have ended in April of 1967. He served two tours in Vietnam and volunteered for his second tour. PVT Deaver arrived in South Vietnam in September 1965. He worked as an anti-tank assaultman. PVT Deaver was killed on August 23, 1966 at the age of 20 due to combat related gunshot wounds in the Quang Tri Province. PVT Deaver’s remains were laid to rest at the Linwood Park Cemetery in Boone.