Funeral service for Art Besa, 80, Lawton, will be 11:30 a.m. Friday in the Becker Funeral Home Memorial Chapel, with Deacon David Bunch, Holy Family Catholic Church officiating. Mr. Besa died Tuesday in a Lawton hospital. Burial with full military honors will be in the Fort Sill National Cemetery, Elgin, under the direction of the Becker Funeral Home & Cremation Service. He was born January 4, 1931 at Eagle Pass, Texas to Andres Hernandez and Teresa (Guerra) Besa. He married Erika E. Morris on February 6, 1984 in Lawton, Oklahoma. Mr. Besa retired as a First Sergeant from the U.S. Army on July 31, 1977 at Fort Sill after more than twenty-five years of service. He was a highly decorated Vietnam veteran. While in the Army he was an airborne paratrooper and was a member of the Army Pistol Team, and he was ranked both nationally and internationally. He was the Oklahoma Commander of the American Legion and he graduated from Cameron University with a bachelor's degree in business in 1980. He was very active as a volunteer in the community and with the American Legion. He was a life member of the Disabled American Veterans, and was serving on the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs War Commission. He is survived by his wife, of the home; three daughters, Teresa Jensen and fiancé Thomas Abram, Lawton, Patricia Hildebrant and husband Kevin, Lawton, and Linda Aceves and husband Arnold of San Antonio, Texas; six sisters; two brothers; six grandchildren and eight great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, Oklahoma Chapter, 6525 N. Meridian Ave. #110, Oklahoma City, OK 73116 or to the American Legion Poppy Memorial Program C/O American Legion of Oklahoma, 2311 N. Central, PO Box 53037, OKC, OK 73152.