Vernon Gail Bergquist

Vernon Gail Bergquist grew up in Clay County and graduated from Spencer High School in the class of 1967. After high school he attended Iowa Lakes Community College in Estherville. The young Iowan was drafted by the Army in August 1969. He graduated from the Quartermasters School at Fort Lee, LA and achieved the rank of Specialist Four. SP4 Bergquist was sent to Southeast Asia in January 1970 and was assigned to Company A, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 11th Aviation Group in the 1st Cavalry Division. He worked as a general office and helicopter supply specialist at a base camp northwest of Saigon in Tay Ninh, South Vietnam. SP4 Bergquist died in a helicopter crash on June 11, 1970. The Huey helicopter went down in a non-hostile accident during a thunderstorm. Five other Americans died in the crash. Bergquist was 21 years old at the time of his death. His remains were returned to Iowa and laid to rest in Spencer.