 Jeff W, a cousin to Albert Altizer |
Remember...Albert Harold Altizer
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Albert Harold Altizer was born at Squire, McDowell County, West Virginia, on April 11, 1949. Known to his family and friends as Harold, he was the son of Kenneth William Altizer and Jeanette Osborne Altizer. In 1950, the only time that Albert appears in the Federal Census, Kenneth, Jeanette, and their son were living in the Big Creek household of Henry and Nancy Altizer, the grandparents of Harold [Albert]. At the time of this writing, no siblings of Harold were found.
| Harold's early life was most likely typical for a young man growing up in rural southern West Virginia. Comments in the "Remembrances" section of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund Wall of Faces reflect the esteem friends and family held for him. Posting a photo of Harold on his 1959 baseball team, cousin Valerie Altizer promises, "You will not be forgotten." Another cousin, Jeanita Little, writes: "Harold, my sweet cousin, shared his love of baseball, his appreciation of plants and animals, and a grandmother with me. I will always carry these in my heart and have shared them with my children and students." Sandy Cline Elliott was a neighbor and schoolmate of Harold's from Litz-Smith Grade School on to Big Creek High School. She notes: "He and his family lived at Cucumber for many years. I remember him as a bright, smiling and happy kid with a great sense of humor, a love of baseball and as a good student (Well, except spelling. . . We both struggled there!) I often think of him and his mom, Jett and dad, Ken. He left us much too soon." |  |
In West Virginia in the late 1960s, with the draft looming because of the Vietnam War, the U.S. Army offered a career path to many young men coming of age in those uncertain times. Consequently, Harold enlisted at Beckley on February 18, 1969; his MOS was infantryman, although he was assigned to a cavalry regiment. His Vietnam tour began on August 4, 1969, but just two months later (October 8), he tragically lost his life due to drowning; as of this writing, his body has not been recovered, even as the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency continues the search for the missing. According to one of the Find a Grave postings for Corporal Albert Harold Altizer (Memorial No. 16498905-there are three Find a Grave postings altogether),
On October 8, 1969, fifteen U.S. troops from the 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division were aboard a small boat during a river crossing operation in Binh Duong Province, South Vietnam. When the boat was in the Song Be River in the vicinity of (GC) XT 921 449, the boat capsized and three soldiers were reported missing. Searches were conducted, and a few days later located the bodies of two of these men downstream from the incident, but the third [Altizer] was never recovered. Recovery efforts included diving, dragging operations, aerial reconnaissance, plus repeated searches of the river bank and downstream areas. The searches continued for four days.Private First Class Albert Harold Altizer entered the U.S. Army from West Virginia and served in Company D, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. He was aboard this boat when it capsized and was not one of the two men recovered during the subsequent searches. Following his loss, the Army posthumously promoted PFC Altizer to the rank of Corporal (CPL). Today, Corporal Altizer is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Several documents on the Coffelt Database, including a witness statement by Michael Richard Irving, recount the incident in greater detail. Additionally, "Joint Task Force-Full Accounting: Biographic/Site Report as of 17 February 1993" notes under "Circumstances of Loss (Case: 1498)" that Pfc. Altizer was lost when the small boat in which he was a passenger capsized, and a thorough search of the area was unsuccessful in locating him. However, some of his equipment was found downstream. (REF 1) Then, in October 1979, a refugee reported that an American who had been killed in combat, was buried at XT 9150. Although he was not killed in combat, it appears that this burial is possibly Pfc. Altizer. (REF 2)
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Corporal Altizer is remembered in multiple places, including the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial; the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall (Panel 17W, Line 49); the West Virginia Veterans Memorial; and, finally, with a cenotaph in the family plot in Maplewood Cemetery, Tazewell, Virginia. According to the HonorStates.org website, he was eligible for, and likely received, the following medals and commendations: the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Marksmanship Badge, the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Army Presidential Unit Citation, and the Vietnam Gallantry Cross |
Article prepared by Patricia Richards McClure
September 2025
West Virginia Archives and History welcomes any additional information that can be provided about these veterans, including photographs, family names, letters and other relevant personal history.
