16Oct1947 – 12Feb1969
Edison Days
Wes graduated with the Class of 1965. He participated in three sports and was very involved in school.
In college Wes worked at Sears in St. Paul and appeared in a newspaper advertisement for back-to-school fashions.
Military Service
Rank: 1st Lieutenant
Branch: United States Army
Unit: B Company – 1st Battalion – 27th Infantry Regiment – 25th Infantry Division
Wes enlisted in the Army in 1967. After basic training he applied and was accepted to Officer Candidate School (OCS). After completing OCS at Fort Benning, Georgia, Wes was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant on 22Jan1968. Wes next received Special Forces training at Fort Huachuca, Arizona.
Wes was sent to Vietnam on 30Dec1968.
On 12Feb1968 Wes was shot and killed by a sniper while riding in a military watercraft. Reports indicate that they may have been evacuating a wounded soldier at the time.
Wes is buried at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Wes was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and the Combat Infantryman Badge.
Wes’ name is inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. on Panel 32W, Line 20.
Wes’ name is also inscribed on a memorial plaque at St. Clement Catholic Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Edison Heroes 