Albert Schaufelberger Albert Schaufelberger ( died May 25 , 1983 ) was a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy who was assassinated in El Salvador . Background . Schaufelberger was a graduate of the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis , Maryland and was an avid ( 150 lb ) American football and lacrosse player while in college . His father , Albert Schaufelberger ( Senior ) , was a decorated fighter and bomber pilot during the Vietnam War . Role in El Salvador . Lieutenant Commander Schaufelberger was the senior U . S . Naval representative at the U . S . Military Group , El Salvador . He was a United States Navy SEAL , second in command of the U . S . Military Group advising the Salvadoran Military on counter insurgency and weapons traffic interdiction operations . In addition , he was security chief for the 53 U . S . military advisors in the country at the time . Schaufelberger had responsibility , among other duties , for naval operations in the Gulf of Fonseca which were run out of the La Union naval base . It was at the La Union naval base where Schaufelberger allowed himself to be photographed for the last time several days before his assassination . Schaufelberger ' s death was the first of a U . S . military member in El Salvador following the October 1980 arrival in country of U . S . military advisors . Assassination . At approximately 6 : 30 pm on May 25 , 1983 , Schaufelberger was assassinated on the grounds of the Central American University in San Salvador . A group under the umbrella of the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front ( FMLN ) , the Central American Revolutionary Workers ' Party ( PRTC ) , is thought to have carried out the act . Schaufelberger had been dating an employee of the university , Consuelo Escalante Aguilera , for several months and often drove to the university in civilian clothes to pick her up after work . On May 25 he arrived and sounded the horn of his armored embassy - provided Ford Maverick , his signal to inform his date that he had arrived . Ms . Aguilera exited her office and observed what she believed to be a white Volkswagen microbus pull up and stop near Schaufelberger ' s car . Reportedly several individuals were involved with the assassination , with at least one firing through the open window of Schaufelberger ' s car . Schaufelberger ' s car leaped forward , impacting a car directly in front of it . The assassins then jumped into their vehicle and escaped . Unfortunately for him , Schaufelberger had removed the bullet - resistant glass over the driver ' s - side window after the air conditioner in his vehicle had broken . Schaufelberger saw his role in El Salvador of preventing a communist takeover of the country for the all of the people of El Salvador — not just those of means . He realized , however , that he might be a target of the insurgents , given the success of the weapon interdiction efforts . During his last discussion with journalists covering U . S . - advised Salvadoran military operations , Schaufelberger told those present that the insurgents " know who I am , and where I live " . His house had apparently already received drive - by gunfire on a recent evening prior to the assassination . Press coverage . Albert Schaufelberger ' s assassination was featured on the front cover of the June 6 , 1983 edition of " Newsweek " magazine . The U . S . edition was headlined " The First Casualty " and the international edition " Shooting to Kill " . Schaufelberger was photographed in uniform and interviewed by international media representatives ( including Newsweek ) one week before his death . Previous pictures of Schaufelberger had been taken by the Magnum Photo Agency in Paris for a syndicated feature story on the escalating U . S . military involvement in the region . For security reasons Schaufelberger appeared in those photos as a rear view only and in civilian clothes . Further reading . " Newsweek " , June 6 , 1983 carried a detailed background of Albert Schaufelberger .