Deceased Classmate: Samuel "Semia" Garcia Ybarra
Date Of Birth: 11-05-1946
Date Deceased: 03-13-1970
Age at Death: 23
Cause of Death: Died in Quang Nam, Vietnam

Burial:  Assumption Cemetery

Classmate City: Austin
Classmate State: TX
Classmate Country: USA
Survived By: Sister Stella Garcia and brother Albert G. Ybarra
 

Samuel, the son of Samuel R. Ybarra and Mary B. Mireles, of Austin Texas, enlisted in the US Marine Corps on February 28, 1968 in San Antonio TX. He arrived in Vietnam on October 19 and was assigned to Company H, 2d Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st MARDIV (Rein) FMF.

Reacting to sniper fire near the Thuan Long village complex on the western slope of Hill 270 in Que Son District Cpl Ybarra who was on point of the patrol tripped a BT (booby trap) causing an explosion. The hidden explosive device was believed to be a 155 mm artillery round killed Cpl Ybarra instantly by multiple fragmentation wounds and wounded another two Marines who were evacuated for medical treatment.

He was always a fun person and a great joker. But something he always battled with was his weight. In the neighborhood he was known to all as Semia. He finally made his decision to join the Marines and were we in for a surprise. My brother came home from basic training looking like a lean mean fighting machine! We miss him dearly but keep his memory alive every day.