Four decades later, Armenian American killed in Vietnam gets a memorial

by Tom Vartabedian

Published: Friday February 18, 2011

Army Specialist David Bedrosian.

Methuen - As a young teenager growing up in the streets of nearby Lawrence, David Peter John Bedrosian was everyone's best friend.

He helped out his peers whenever the going got tough, ran errands for the elderly, helped neighbors in distress and befriended the nuns in a nearby convent.

Whenever the Sisters of Holy Rosary Church needed a helping hand bundling clothes and food for the indigent, Bedrosian was at their beckoning call.

The youth barely saw his 20th birthday. He was killed in a freak motor vehicle accident while serving as a specialist with the United States Army in Vietnam, leaving an indelible image with his parents John and Margaret.

Now 41 years later, he's been memorialized with a shrine inside the City Hall foyer where others like him have been remembered for making the ultimate sacrifice.

"Better late than never," agreed his dad John, himself a military veteran like his own father who served with the Armed Forces in World War 2. To describe the Bedrosians as an ultimate military family is putting it mildly. They symbolize the very best this country has to offer.

"A lot of people go into Town Hall every day," Bedrosian said. "They'll see my son's picture and remember the cause he served. He died with a patriotic heart."

The day was Nov. 14, 1969. A monsoon had struck Quon Loi and Bedrosian had disembarked from a fork lift, only to be struck by his own vehicle as visibility had been heavily impaired due to the torrential rain.

The Bedrosians were at work when news of their son's death had arrived. They rushed home to find an Army chaplain and official at their door and feared for the worse. The news came two months before David was scheduled for discharge. He had already sent some of his belongings home.

The funeral that followed will long be recalled as one of the biggest military gatherings the City of Lawrence has ever seen. The American flag that covered the casket was folded by an honor guard and presented to Margaret Bedrosian at the gravesite.

If you were to drive by Maple Street in Lawrence, you will see a street sign bearing David Bedrosian's name. That's where the family lived prior to their move to Methuen.

"A day hasn't gone by when we don't think of our son," said Margaret, pointing to a cache of keepsakes which include artwork, photographs and a showcase containing his medals.

"David's alive in our hearts, never dead," she added, wiping away a tear. "Even the great-grandchildren hear about him. In our mind, David had never left home."

He served his Holy Cross Armenian Church as an acolyte, delivered newspapers, and enjoyed playing sports with his friends. Some of his best times were fishing with his dad.

In high school, David was recognized as a model student who yearned to become an architect in his professional life. He planned to attend Wentworth Institute in Boston when the war was gaining impetus.

He put his future education on hold and enlisted into the Army before the possibility of being drafted. Bedrosian wanted to serve America on his own terms.

Six months later - on Palm Sunday -- he got shipped to Vietnam and was assigned to the Infantry where he played a significant role of supplying weapons to the troops.

Now, the Bedrosians can take comfort in knowing their city has finally recognized their son with a belated memorial and his rightful place on the Wall of Honor, along with other fallen personnel.

Bedrosian shares company with a 21-year-old Marine killed by sniper fire and another from World War 2 just portrayed in the HBO miniseries "The Pacific."

Pictures of their son are carried in their wallets. Both their cars have registrations proclaiming their role as Gold Star parents. The Bedrosians attend St. Gregory Church in North Andover where news of their son wasn't common knowledge until word got out about the ceremony.

Bedrosian's name also appears on the Vietnam Wall of Honor with 58,000 other victims, together with another namesake --- a lieutenant who was killed while serving with the Air Force. No relation, other than the Armenian connection.