A. Peter Dewey

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A. Peter Dewey
1916 – September 26, 1945
Place of birth	Chicago, Illinois
Place of death	Vietnam
Allegiance	United States Army
Years of service	N/A – 1945
Rank	Major
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Silver Star Croix de Guerre Legion of Honor Order of Nicham-el-Oftikhar

A. Peter Dewey (1916-September 26, 1945), shot by accident by Viet Minh troops on September 26, 1945, was the first American casualty in the Vietnam War.

Dewey had been working with the Viet Minh for the repatriation of American troops captured by the Japanese in Vietnam during World War II. His mission was accomplished but the plane taking him out did not arrive as planned at Tan Son Nhat International Airport. He was shot returning from the airport by Viet Minh. The Viet Minh afterward claimed that their troops mistook him for a Frenchman after he spoke to them in French. Why exactly the Viet Minh would shoot Frenchmen on sight at a time before conflict with France over the future of Vietnam broke out has not been explained.

Dewey is not listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC because the Defense Department has ruled that the war officially started, from a U.S. perspective, on November 1, 1955 after the U.S. took over following the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu. His name is listed on the American Battlefield Monuments Commission website on the Tablets of the Missing at Manila National Cemetery as Major Albert D. Dewey.