John Geoghegan

This article is about the American soldier. For the Irish politician, see Johnny Geoghegan.
John Lance Geoghegan
Nickname(s) "Jack"
Born November 10, 1941
Pelham, New York
Died November 15, 1965 (aged 24)
Ia Drang Valley, Vietnam
Buried at St. Mary's Cemetery, Bethel, Connecticut
Allegiance United States of America
Service/branch  United States Army
Rank Second Lieutenant
Unit 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry
Battles/wars

Vietnam War

Awards Silver Star
Bronze Star
Purple Heart
Air Medal

John Lance "Jack" Geoghegan, (November 10, 1941 – November 15, 1965) was an infantry lieutenant in the U.S. Army, who was killed during the Battle of Ia Drang during the Vietnam War.

Early life

Born in Pelham, New York, Geoghegan was the only son of John J. and Camille D. Geoghegan. He attended Iona Preparatory School in New Rochelle, NY and graduated in 1959. Geoghegan attended the Pennsylvania Military College and, upon graduation, he was commissioned into the U.S. Army as a Second Lieutenant. Obtaining a deferment from his military duties, he attended the University of Pennsylvania. He married Barbara Weathers Geoghegan on June 13, 1964 and went to Africa to take part in a relief program. Their daughter Camille Geoghegan-Olson (named after Jack's mother) was born on June 8th 1965.

Military career

On his return from Africa, Geoghegan resumed his military career and attended the Infantry Officers Basic Course. Following training, he was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry and resided at Fort Benning, Georgia. His daughter, Camille Ann Geoghegan, was born on June 8, 1965.

On August 18, he was deployed to Vietnam, where he was killed during the Battle of Ia Drang while tending to wounded fellow soldier, Willie Godboldt. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and the Air Medal.

In popular culture

Jack Geoghegan was portrayed by Chris Klein in the 2002 film We Were Soldiers.

See also

References


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/27/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.