Keith Alan Kahlstorf

Keith Alan Kahlstorf grew up in rural Hancock County and graduated from Britt High School in 1966. After school Kahlstorf was drafted by the Marine Corps. PFC Kahlstorf was sent to Vietnam in November 1968 and assigned to the 3rd Marine Division as an infantry rifleman. On May 25, 1969 his unit was holding a defensive position southwest of Cam Lo near the DMZ. Their position received enemy mortar fire throughout the day. One mortar struck the unit’s ammo supply igniting a fire and caused a subsequent explosion. PFC Kahlstorf was killed from a fragmentation wound to the neck. The attack resulted in the death of 15 Americans including fellow Iowan PFC Walters of Sioux City. PFC Kahlstorf was the first Vietnam casualty from Britt and he was featured in the infamous 1969 LIFE magazine cover article entitled "The Faces of the American Dead in Vietnam: One Week's Toll." His body was buried at the Evergreen Cemetery in Britt.