Gary Wayne Weir

Gary Wayne Weir was raised in Emmetsburg. He attended Saint Mary’s grade school and graduated from Emmetsburg Catholic High School in the class of 1967. In school he participated in football, basketball, and track. Weir attended Emmetsburg Community College for one semester and then enlisted in the Marine Corps. Weir completed trainings at San Diego, CA and Camp Pendleton, CA before deploying to South Vietnam in September 1966. PFC Weir served as a machine gunner with the 3rd Marine Division. The young Marine died on October 27, 1968 while clearing a landing zone in the Quang Tri Province. He detonated an explosive on a tree stump, the stump exploded and a piece of wood impaled PFC Weir. He was 19 years old at the time of his death. The Iowan was buried at the Saint John’s Cemetery in Emmetsburg.