Donald Ernest Heggan

First Lieutenant

B Company
1st Battalion
16th Infantry Regiment

Entered the Service from: New Jersey
Born: August 17, 1944
Died: July 20, 1968
Buried at: Greenwood Cemetery
                 Greenwood Lane & Henry Street
                 Blue Anchor
                 Winslow Township, New Jersey

Awards: Purple Heart, Silver Star, Bronze Star, Vietnam Service Award, Combat Infantryman Badge, Badge of Qualification for Parachutist, Basic Marksmanship, National Defense Medal

Panel 51W, Row 19
Vietnam Veterans Memorial

First Lieutenant Donald Ernest Heggan was born on August 17, 1944. He graduated from Edgewood Regional High School in 1962. During his school years he enjoyed football, baseball, water skiing and coaching little league baseball. Heggan went on to North Carolina State University where he was a member of the ROTC. After college, he went to Vietnam where he served in the US Army, B Company, 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry, where he attained the rank of Lieutenant.

After serving in Vietnam just three months, Lieutenant Heggan was killed on July 20, 1968 in Phuoc Long province, a victim of multiple fragmentation wounds, which would indicate death due to mortar fire, artillery, hand grenade, or a similar device.

Lieutenant Heggan was awarded the Badge of Qualification for Parachutist, Basic Marksmanship, the National Defense Medal, Purple Heart, Silver and Bronze Stars, Combat and Infantryman, Vietnam Service Award.

There is a monument and baseball park named after Donald Ernest Heggan in his hometown of Blue Anchor, NJ. The boys he coached raised the money for the monument.

He is memorialized on Panel 51W, Row 19 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.