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name
BEESON, Clarence Sakyesva - Date of
birth
14 November 1917 -
Age
27 - Place of
birth
Toreva, Navajo County, Arizona -
Hometown
Toreva, Navajo County, Arizona -
Ethnicity
Native American
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
39853014 -
Rank
Private First Class -
Function
Rifleman -
Unit
G Company,
2nd Battalion,
335th Infantry Regiment,
84th Infantry Division,
2nd Platoon
-
Awards
Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
3 March 1945 - Place of
death
Vorst, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| O | 5 | 4 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Steve Q. Beeson (father)
Ahia Beeson (mother)
David Beeson (brother)
Hugh Beeson (brother)
Margaret Beeson (sister)
Elizabeth Beeson (sister)
Paul Beeson (brother)
Alberta (Mootska) Beeson (wife)
More information
Some records indicate Pfc Beeson was born in January 1916, while his army records say he was born on 14 November 1917.During his lifetime he lived in Toreva, Oraibi, and Polacca. This was a time when the federal government forced Hopi children to attend boarding school often far from home, meaning they did not return home for several years at a time. He and all of his siblings except Hugh were sent to the Presbyterian Mission School in Ganado, Arizona.
He was married to Alberta Mootska on 26 October 1942.
He worked on a farm.
He enlisted on 24 November 1942 in Phoenix, Arizona. He joined G Company of the 335th Infantry Regiment on 10 December 1942, making him one of the original members of the unit.
According to a letter of the commanding general of the 84th Infantry Division, Clarence Beeson was killed when his unit was eliminating scattered resistance in Vorst, Germany. An artillery shell landed nearby and he was hit and killed by shrapnel. He had only been out of the hospital for about a week, where he had been taken to after being hit by small arms fire in his left tigh on 6 January 1945.
Source of information: Peter Schouteten, Catherine H. Ellis, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov, www.newspapers.com - Tucxon Daily Citizen, www.ancestry.com - Indian Census Roll 1940 / 1930 Census / WWII Draft Card, Official Military Personnel File, Individual Deceased Personnel File
Photo source: Peter Schouteten, Storiesbehindthestars.org