Alexander Henry Beville was born in Waco, Texas, on February 12, 1920. He was the son of celebrated local dentist Dr. A. J. Beville and his wife Jennie, and attended Waco High School, graduating in 1937. Beville then attended Texas A&M with his best friend from high school, Paul G. Haines, Jr., both were members of the class of 1941.
When America entered World War II, Beville was commissioned a second lieutenant and was assigned to Army field artillery in Italy with the 77th Field Artillery while Haines was sent elsewhere.
Beville fought at Monte Cassino and was killed by a German “bouncing betty” mine on January 11, 1944. He was one month shy of his 24th birthday. Best friend Haines was killed in Germany a year later. They were two of nearly 100 members of Texas A&Ms Class of 1941 that perished during the war.
Beville’s remains came home to rest in Section T, Site 122 of Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in 1948. The class ring that he was wearing when he was killed was passed on to his older sister, who wore it for the rest of her life.
You can visit Beville’s Veterans Legacy Memorial page online and leave a tribute.
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This #VeteranOfTheDay is from the Veterans Legacy Program. To learn more about the VLP, our partnerships and how we share the stories of Veterans in our national cemeteries, please visit the VLP webpage.
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