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Veenbaas John David

Name:
John David Veenbaas
Rank:
Private
Serial Number:
37448967
Unit:
462nd Amphibious Truck Company
Date of Death:
1944-04-28
State:
South Dakota
Cemetery:
Cambridge American Cemetery, United Kingdom
Plot:
C
Row:
3
Grave:
22
Decoration:
Purple Heart
Comments:

John David Veenbaas was born on August 14, 1909 in Brookings County, South Dakota. He was the son of Hans Veenbaas and Rika (Fredrika) Mattias Veenbaas. John served in the U.S. Army during World War II as a Private in the 557th Quartermaster Raildhead Company. He was killed during the Exercise Tiger--one of the large-scale rehearsals for the D-Day invasion of Normandy. This took place in April 1944 in Slapton Sands, Devon in the UK. An Allied naval convoy involved in the exercise was attacked by German submarines, and coordination and communication problems resulted in friendly fire deaths. At least 749 American servicemen were killed. Because of the impending invasion of Normandy, the incident was highly classified and the full story did not come out until years later after the war. He died on April 28, 1944 and is now buried in Cambridge American Cemetery, Cambridge, United Kingdom.