In
Memory of U.S. Army Corporal
Darrell Elmer Hartman was born in October 1, 1948, in
Scotland, South Dakota, to Mr. and Mrs. Elmer (Adeline)
Hartman. He has a sister named Mardell. He was born, raised,
and educated in McCook County. He attended Canistota Grade
School and Salem High School but quit just prior to
graduation. Before he entered the service, he was employed
by S & H Manufacturing in Sioux Falls. On November 3, 1967,
Darrell married Beverly Catron in Alexandria and had a
daughter, Tanya, who Darrell never saw.
On April 1, 1968, Darrell Elmer Hartman was drafted into
the U.S. Army. He was trained at Ft. Lewis, Washington, and
then he was transferred to Fort Ord, California, where he
received his Advanced Individual Training in Communications
and was awarded the marksmanship medal for the M-14 rifle.
He and his wife were then stationed in Fort Carson, Colorado
Springs, Colorado. There he received awards in pistol, M-16
rifle, and grenade launcher. He went overseas in April of
1968 with the Battery A, 1st Battalion, 30th Artillery, 1st
Cavalry Division as a radio operator. He wrote home that he
was sorry he quit school, then he found out that he could
finish in the Army.
In his last letter home, Darrell talks about what he was
going to do after the war. Darrell said in his letter:
I think Bev and I will probably be
looking for a house in Sioux Falls if I get
back into Schwartz. I’ve been thinking of trying to get
into telephone business, if I don’t work at Schwartz, to
tell you the truth I kind of miss working at Schwartz.
I’d still like to try some thing new though. Being I
have to start all over.
I have to learn how to run computers
here in FDC too besides being a radio teletype, so maybe
that will help me out too later in life. It sure is
interesting to learn all this stuff and it keeps me from
having to walk around and killing Charly. The only thing
I have to do is duck from the rockets and motors here.
We’ve only been hit once since I’ve been here and that
was enough for me for awhile. Scared the living s*** out
of me.
Today has been miserable, we got a
good taste of the monsoon. It rained all day and there
was about 6 inches on the ground and it’s still
drizzling. We’re in for 3 months of steady raining,
cause that’s how long it lasts…
After only being on duty in Vietnam for six weeks,
Corporal Darrell Hartman was killed on May 11, 1969, after a
heavy rain storm caused the bunker in which he was sleeping
in to give way and collapse on him. He was only 20 years
old. His wife received word about his death the morning of
May 13, 1969. His body was returned to the United States and
he was buried with military honors at Wildwood Cemetery at
Salem.
Darrell Elmer Hartman was awarded the Air Medal, Army
Commendation Medal, Good Conduct Medal, and prior to his
death he was awarded the National Defense Service Medal,
Vietnam Service Medal, and the Vietnam Campaign Ribbon.
Darrell’s wife and daughter moved away several years
after his death, and the family lost track of them.
Darrell’s parents are now deceased; only his sister, Mardell,
survives him. In closing, she wrote, “He died so young; we
can only think he would have grown old a very respected,
wonderful person.”
Darrell at Fort Ord, California
This entry was submitted by Alex McCambridge, 8th grade
student, Spearfish Middle School, November 13, 2005.
Information for this project was collected from Vietnam
Veterans Bonus Application and Darrell’s sister, Mardell
Klockman. Profile approval by Mardell Klockman.
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