“I heard one day that one of our local operations had gone awry, that a helicopter had been forced to make an emergency landing, hurting someone in the process. It turned out to be much worse than that. Dave had been horribly burned by a white phosphorous grenade. It was a windy day, and the helicopter pilot had apparently requested that a smoke grenade be thrown to show him wind direction as he landed in a small area. A white phosphorous grenade had been used by mistake.”

A friend of Dave Lee Konzelman David

October 24, 2025 — David Lee Konzelman died on October 24, 1971, at Brooke Army Medical Center in Texas from injuries sustained on September 13, 1971. The injuries occurred when a phosphorus grenade exploded in his hand while he was serving in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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In 1963, Dave Konzelman joined the Central Intelligence Agency as a document analyst in the Records Integration Division of the Directorate of Plans (now the Directorate of Operations).

Last Mission — In September 1971, Dave Konzelman was deployed to a Southeast Asian country. Just days after his arrival, he was involved in a tragic accident.

On September 13, 1971, while attempting to assist a helicopter landing in a windy area, Konzelman intended to throw a smoke grenade.

However, a phosphorus grenade accidentally exploded in his hand, resulting in severe burns that covered more than 45% of his body.

He was evacuated to Brooke Army Medical Center in Texas, a facility renowned for its burn treatment expertise.

Despite the medical efforts, he succumbed to his injuries on October 24, 1971—his 31st birthday.

Star on the Wall and Name in the Book of Honor

In 1974, Dave Konzelman (Star 28) was posthumously honored with one of the original 31 stars on the CIA Memorial Wall at the Agency’s headquarters.

Konzelman was the last name inscribed in the original Book of Honor.

REFERENCES

Heroes : David Lee Konzelman — CIA website

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CIA Memorial Wall — STAR 28 : David Lee Konzelman (Texas – October 24, 1971)