USMC Combined Action Company Oscar, Khe Sanh, RVN, 1967-1968
Dedicated to the Marines of Oscar Company and our Bru counterparts, and to all the Americans and South Vietnamese who served at Khe Sanh.
(Photo courtesy of "Doc" John Roberts, O-2, CPT, USMC, Ret. )
A rare photo of an entire Combined Action Company in one place. I am in the front row, extreme right, kneeling. "Doc" John Roberts is top row, second from the right, minus helmet, with glasses. This photo was taken by a Bru with Doc Roberts' camera just before a sweep in October 1967.
HONOR ROLL, KIA and WIA, RVN, 1967-1968
First, I'd like to honor our native counterparts, the members of the Dega (aka "Montagnard") Bru tribe Popular Force troops who were KIA, WIA, and MIA before, during, and after our time at Khe Sann, and the other valiant Dega tribes of the Highlands who fought on without us as late as 1993. Also remembered are those who suffered in "re-education" camps for their support of the USA, and their families who were killed, injured, and uprooted by the war and its aftermath. All who served with the Bru remember them fondly. As our late comrade, Ray Gray said when I asked for his recollections of them; "The Bru... what can I say...? The most beautiful people..." We all remember their character and courage.
I would also like to honor the memories of the other Marines, soldiers, sailors, and airmen who were killed in, around or over Khe Sanh in all periods of engagement there, especially the Army Special Forces soldiers of FOB-3, who brought us into their compound, fed us, armed us, and clothed us. We fought alongside them, and friendships began, many of which have carried on to the present.
I have therefore added some of their number who were KIA in an action I participated in as a volunteer, and some who died later, to our own list. I will not say they are "honorary" CAP Marines, because I don't have the authority to do so (and some of them might object to being called even honorary Marines!), but I am sure that the CAP Oscar Marines who served with them feel as I do about them - that they were among the bravest and best men I ever knew.
Where individual medals, ribbons, badges, or other awards are known, they are illustrated (if available) and / or listed. Otherwise, I have put the basic three medals each individual would have earned for being in service and in theater (i.e.; National Defense Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, and the Vietnamese Campaign Medal) plus the Purple Heart Medal for those KIA or WIA. In addition to the medals, all members of CAP Oscar were entitled to at least one award of the following ribbons which do not have accompanying medals: Combat Action Ribbon, Presidential Unit Citation, Navy Unit Citation, Meritorious Unit Citation, Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry (Unit Level w/ frame and palm) and the Vietnamese Civic Action Ribbon (with frame and palm). Individuals may be entitled to other medals and awards in addition to these. If you know of an individual medal, badge, or award due to one of these men, please let me know.
All entries are given chronologically in alphabetical order within the date of the action / casualty.
Note: In recent months, this project, which was moving ahead, but rather slowly, has gone into high gear, with veterans of the units commemorated and surviving families of the men commemorated here contacting me with more information and photos, etc. I would like to thank all those who have provided this valuable and important information for their cooperation and help.)
I also wish to especially thank our web-master and host, USN veteran John W. Morris, owner of E Web Design. John has put in many unpaid hours on this project, and his outstanding web and tech skills, advice, patience, and dedication, have been absolutely critical to the success of this mission. Without John, we might have had a site - but it wouldn't be nearly as complete or well-done. My sincere and heartfelt thanks to him for all his hard work.
CPL Carl Franklin Pepple, Jr., USMC
O-3, killed as the result of a non-hostile accident, 5/5/1967
(Photo courtesy of Carroll ["Chip"] Daly, O-3)
Carl was born March 30,1947. His home of record was Houston, Texas. At the time of his death, he had 3 years in the Marines. He served in O-3 in 1967, before the Siege of Khe Sanh. The cause of death was a hand grenade explosion while he was on watch, but the circumstances surrounding the explosion have (to my knowledge) never been definitely ascertained.
His name is on Panel 19E, Row 44 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and a profile and remembrances can be found on the Vietnam Veterans' War Memorial site
(My thanks to Carroll ("Chip") Daly, also of O-3, for bringing his name and death to my attention, and for providing the above picture. I had never previously heard of this incident.)
Ambush on Hill 689, 27 June, 1967
At 0830 on 27 June, 1967, CAP O-3 sent a patrol sent to investigate suspected launch sites (spotted by an AO) of an NVA rocket and mortar attack on the Khe Sanh base which had occurred earlier that morning (just after midnight).
The patrol included CPL Dennis Alfred O'Connor, CPL James Merrill Shepard, Jr., and LCPL Francisco Alberto Mazariegos, all of Oscar-3, and LCPL Charles Aaron Lynch of Oscar-1, who was along because he had been visiting friends at O-3, as well as men of the local Bru tribe of Popular Force militia.
As the patrol reached the crest of Hill 689 (coordinates XD 802 409, 4 kilometers west of the combat base), they encountered a much larger NVA force and were ejected from the hilltop with two dead and two men missing in action. Most of the casualties occurred as the patrol tried to extract the injured and killed men.
Here is an account of the ambush from the only survivor I have been able to locate, Earl B. Grissom written on 1/13/09. This account was sent to me in an E-mail. I have added some notes from telephone conversations with Earl or other sources which vary slightly from this account, though overall they agree in main facts.
Hill 689
(Edited by F. J. Taylor)
I can’t remember if it was late night of June 26th or early morning of June 27th when Khe Sanh started getting hammered by mortars followed by rockets. It was a bad rocket and mortar attack. I’m not sure how many rounds of each, but the attack went on for awhile.
(Ed. Note: It was just after midnight on the morning of the 27th.)
Early that morning, June 27th, we were informed that we were going on a patrol to look for the mortar sites from the attack the night before. I can remember looking at the overlay. I noticed that one of the checkpoints was the top of a hill numbered 689 that at that time was being hammered by phantoms. I found it strange that this patrol was going that far to a hill that was getting hit by an air strike - just to find some mortar sites. I remember me and Dennis (Dennis O’Connor) said as much and were told to....shut up.
(Ed. Note: In fairness, their NCOIC, SGT (later WO4) Lawrence Bosworth, told me in a phone conversation that he had already protested the assignment on the same grounds, but had been ordered by higher command to run it, so he was compelled to order the patrol against his better judgement. Marines, unlike SOG forces, had no say in accepting or refusing assignments.)
Things went along pretty good. We got to the top of a hill (I think the number was 521 or 561). Anyway, that is not important. It was about the third checkpoint and that’s when we found the mortar sites. The pits were freshly dug, aiming stakes still in place. Some 82 mm rounds laying around. We knew that the NVA weren’t far away. They were still air striking 689 and we started realizing we were in some deep shit.
We started off towards 689 when a spotter plane saw our patrol. I’ll never forget his call sign. It was CAT KILLER 2-6. Anyways he flew low and dropped a canister out with his radio frequency and his exact words were……”what in the hell are you doing?” We explained and he called off the phantoms and we started up 689.
O’Connor was walking point, followed by I think Maz (Francisco Mazariegos), then I think me, and behind me were Shep (James Shepard) and Doc. I just know that us five were the first ones to top the hill. We came up on a spider trap and looking in we saw an ammo dump with mortar rounds. Cases of AK47 rounds, RPG rounds, or B-40, whatever you like to call them. Just a lot of shit and that’s when we knew we were definitely in trouble.
O’Connor had seen another spider trap and said he was going to go over and check it out. I guess Maz had seen something else and took off. I turned around to say something to Shep and I saw O’Connor look down into a hole and a machine gun opened up on him and it seemed like the whole hill erupted.
(Ed. Note: In a telephone conversation in January 2009, Grissom informed me that O'Connor had started to point his rifle at something, when the MG opened up. He said O'Connor was "stitched up" by the MG, and was probably dead when he hit the ground.)
I turned around and dove into a bomb crater. I crawled up to the top of the crater and was doing what I could with my blooper (M-79)...
(Ed. Note: In a telephone conversation in January 2009, Grissom informed me that he was often firing almost straight up, because the enemy was so close. He said the rounds were striking so near him and Mazariegos that he feared they might be hit by them.)
...and I saw Maz fighting his way back towards me taking out one gook just before he got to the crater. A few minutes later he caught an AK-47 round in the temple and he was dead before he hit the ground.
(Ed. Note: In a telephone conversation in January 2009, Grissom informed me that Mazariegos had jumped into the crater laughing and saying; "I got one of the fuckers! I got one." In another conversation, he thought Mazariegos said he had gotten two. He also commented that Mazariegos had displayed great courage in his fighting retreat to the crater, his face to the enemy and delivering accurate fire on them, resulting in at least one enemy casualty.)
(Ed. Note: In a telephone conversation in January 2009, Grissom informed me that after Mazariegos had been hit, the Navy Corpsman, [HN Faidley or Farley, acc. to some accounts] came over under fire to try to render aid, despite Grissom's telling him that Mazariegos was dead. He also stated that CPL Shepard [mentioned below] was lying beside the crater rather than in it. The corpsman rendered first aid to Shepard, and assisted Grissom in hauling him down the hill.)
I turned to Shep and said…”we’ve gotta get outta here” and he said…”We can’t - I’ve been hit!” I reached down and grabbed Maz’s 16 and his magazines and got out of the crater. I couldn’t see where Shep got hit. There was no blood. Then I saw where the round had gone in right next to his neck in the soft area by the collar bone. At this time he was still alive so we tried dragging him down the hill. After a hundred yards or so he died.
Two other Marines had survived from the back half of the patrol and to save my life I can’t remember their names. Anyway, we got back to our C.P. and we had to go over to the main C.P. at Khe Sanh and give all the brass the run down about what happened and gave them the coordinates of the ammo bunker, etc.
I’m sure that there is more to this than what I have written. As time goes on I’m sure more will be revealed to me but what I have written down here is a true and accurate statement from a survivor of the ambush on Hill 689 at Khe Sanh – So Help Me God.
Semper Fi,
Earl Grissom
Addenda:
In a telephone interview with Grissom in January 2009, he said that when the survivors got off the hill, he heard that Lynch and another man he knew only as "Red" had been KIA also. However, I have so far found no record of a fourth Oscar KIA. The surviving men went back to Oscar-3.
Per the late Ray Gray and other sources, a relief column was dispatched from the other CAPs but they were unable to gain the hill, being driven off by heavy fire and hampered by the refusal of the Bru RFs (native militia) to ascend the hill. (The Bru usually knew when things were going to be very bad - their senses were much finer tuned than those of most of the Americans.)
According to Grissom (in a telephone interview in January 2009), a CPT Hall from Hotel CAP came to KS after the ambush, and spoke to the survivors. He asked the patrol why they left the radio freq with Oscar, and was of the opinion that the disaster was due to leaving the freq.
They explained about the spotter, but were ignored by CPT Hall who apparently sought to lay the entire blame for the disaster at their door - despite the fact that no amount of radio contact could make up for the fact that they had been sent on what was essentially a suicide mission - a small, lightly armed patrol, with no real supporting arms available against a large, heavily-armed and well-entrenched enemy force that was not dislodged until two full line rifle companies with full supporting arms were sent up the hill - and they still lost many men KIA and WIA. It appears that CPT Hall for reasons not clear (though likely in order to find a scapegoat) was attempting to put the blame for a failed mission on the men who were ordered to perform it against their better judgement.
India and Lima 3/26 Assault on Hill 689
Meantime, India 3/26, which was returning from an overnight patrol, was diverted to Hill 689 to assist the Oscar Company Marines. The Company Commander sent the 1st and 2nd Platoons up the hill on slightly divergent courses, intending to take the NVA from two directions.
Both platoons encountered heavy enemy fire and the remainder of India 3/26 moved in to assist. At the same time, Lima 3/26 was lifted into the area.
By 1930 the crest of Hill 689 had been cleared of NVA and India and Lima joined to form a consolidated night defensive position.
Both MIAs from CAC OSCAR were found dead, and 3/26 lost 14 men KIA in the engagement, for a total of 18 Americans killed in the actions. A week later LCpl Charles Gattis died from wounds received on Hill 689, raising the toll to 19 men. 18 of the 19 are known. The "missing man" is suspected to one of two artillerymen from A Btry, 1/13 Marines who died at Khe Sanh on the 27th. (The latter information courtesy of the Virtual Wall.)
In addition to the KIA, the men of 3/26 sustained a number of WIAs, among them being Frank McCarthy, 3rd Plt. Commander of L 3/26. (Anyone who has a complete list of WIAs, especially one with their names, please contact me for inclusion.)
(I will soon add some of the personal accounts by men involved in this action.)
The below-listed men were KIA in these actions:
LCPL CHARLES AARON LYNCH, USMC
O-1, KIA, 27 June 1967
(Photo courtesy of the late Raymond Gray)
Charles Aaron Lynch was from New York City, NY. He was born on 29 December 1943. Ray Gray said that he was a pleasant, friendly, young man. I'm afraid I don't have much more information on him. if any readers can fill in the gaps, please get in touch through the form below. Charles was assigned to O-1, but was visiting a friend in O-3 on the the day he was killed, and volunteered for a patrol from O-3 that was ambushed on Hill 689. (See above.) His name is on Panel 22E, Row 71 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and a profile and remembrances can be found on the Vietnam Veterans' War Memorial site. I have also placed a remembrance on the Virtual Wall.
LCPL FRANCISCO ALBERTO MAZARIEGOS
O-3, KIA, 27 June 1967
(Photo courtesy of his sister, Mary)
Francisco Alberto Mazariegos was from Tampa, FL. He was born on 29 December 1947, and named for his father. He was part of a patrol from O-3 that was ambushed on Hill 689. (See above.) His name is on Panel 22E, Row 68 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and a profile and remembrances can be found on the Vietnam Veterans' War Memorial site. There are also remembrances on the Virtual Wall. (Note: Frank's middle name is almost always given on other sources as "Albe" - a typographical mistake apparently made early on. Since it was "official" it has been self-perpetuating. His full name was as given below his picture [above], as verified by his family.)
Frank sent this poem home while in Vietnam, shortly before he was killed. I post it here and his picture with the permission of his sister, Mary, who provided them.
10 February 1967
"Look, God, I have never spoken to You
But now I want to say, "How do You do"
You see God, they told me you didn't exist
And like a fool, I believed all of this
Last night from a shell hole I saw Your sky
I figured right then they had told me a lie
Had I taken the time to see the things You made,
I'd have known they weren't calling a spade a spade
I wonder, God if you'd shake my hand
Somehow, I feel you will understand
Funny, I had to come to this hellish place
Before I had time to see Your face
Well, I guess there isn't much more to say
But I'm sure glad, God, I met You today
I guess the zero hour will soon be here
But I'm not afraid since I know You're near
The signal! Well, God, I'll have to go
I like You lots, this I want You to know
Look now - this will be a terrible fight
Who knows, I may come to Your House tonight
Though I wasn't friendly with You before
I wonder, God, if You'd wait at Your Door?
Look, I'm crying, me - shedding tears
I wish I had known You these many years
Well, I will have to go now, God, Good-bye
Strange - since I met You I'm not afraid to die"
Francisco Alberto Mazariegos
CPL DENNIS ALFRED O'CONNOR, USMC
O-3, KIA, 27 June 1967
(Photo courtesy of his family)
Dennis Alfred O'Connor was born in Lynwood, California on March 3, 1946. He was described by his family as "a fun-loving guy." He enlisted in the Marines in 1964, and was trained at MCRD San Diego and Camp Pendleton, California. His first tour was spent at Phu Bai. He already had considerable experience in-country, some of which will be familiar to those who served in Vietnam. His mother related to me that while he was still on his first tour, he was chased by a water buffalo (which, for some reason, seemed not to like Americans). The beast followed him through a house (RIGHT through it - they are built like bulldozers) and gored him badly enough to be sent to a hospital ship off the coast. He was subsequently returned to duty.
Dennis extended his tour of duty voluntarily, and spent his month's extension leave at home, although, as his mother put it; "understandably, mostly with his girlfriend." Dennis told his mother that he wanted to return to help the people, and had plans to send a young man to the US for an education. Unfortunately, by the time he returned, the young man had been married. Although he was dedicated to what we were doing there, his mother told me that when they left him at the airport, he seemed to have regretted his decision to return. I can understand that feeling.
After Dennis returned, he was reassigned to Phu Bai, but then was sent to Khe Sanh, where he was assigned to O-3. His niece wrote that on his first day there, he was assigned as part of the patrol from O-3 that was ambushed on Hill 689, where he was KIA. (See above.) His name is on Panel 22E, Row 72 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and a profile and remembrances can be found on the Vietnam Veterans' War Memorial site. I have also placed a remembrance on the Virtual Wall. Dennis is survived by his mother Betty and his father Joe, and his sister, Jo Ann, nieces Anne and Suzanne, a nephew, Dennis, cousins Blair and Cynthia, and by his former fiancee. His family provided his picture.
Dennis composed this poem shortly before he was killed. Jane Fonda was in North Vietnam at the time, and there were protests against the war near his home. It is reprinted here courtesy of his family, who provided me with a copy.
I’m Just a Fighting Boy
I’m just a fighting boy, fighting is my life
I risk my neck night after night
I don’t ask questions I just do my job
But once in awhile my heart gives a throb
Why do you people, people back home
Leave me over here all alone?
Maybe the policy is not right,
but our boys are dying every night
I fight for you every one no matter if liberal, conservative or none,
So why don’t you citizens unite into one and you can be sure we’ll get the job done?
Just think for a moment what would have occurred
if people during the other wars Had been so absurd,
If they had not united and fought as one,
We might have lived under the communist thumb.
CPL JAMES MERRILL SHEPARD, Jr., USMC
O-3, KIA 27 June 1967
(Photo and poems below courtesy of his sister, Sally)
James Merrill Shepard, Jr., was born in Columbus, WI on 22 Dec. 1946, and raised in Marshall, WI. He enlisted in the Marines on February 11, 1966, and went through training at MCRD San Diego and MCB Camp Pendleton. In Vietnam, he was assigned first to K 3/26, where, (according to his comrade Joe Beck of Kilo Co.), he had been in weapons plt until the spring of 1967, when he volunteered for the Combined Action Program with Bruce Abraham, another K Co Marine. He was then assigned to Oscar Co. at Khe Sanh. On 27 June, 1967, he was part of a patrol from O-3 that was ambushed on Hill 689. (See above) His name is on Panel 22E, Row 73 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and a profile and remembrances can be found on the Vietnam Veterans' War Memorial site. I have also placed a remembrance on the Virtual Wall. He was survived by his father James Sr. (since deceased) and mother, his sister, and other family members, many of whom still live in the Marshall area. His aunt wrote a poem for him entitled "His Gift" (below). In May 2000, there was a memorial service for Jimmy in Marshall in conjunction with an American Legion Memorial Day program, and among the presentations was the piece below entitled "A Few Good Men." Some K Co. veterans also came to the service as representatives for all to honor him.
Bru Tribe Popular Force Troops
The local militia counterparts with the O-3 patrol (above) who were KIA and WIA with them. I regret that I do not have their names or pictures. If anyone can supply them, I would be grateful.
Casualties from 3rd Bn, 26th Marines
H&S Co
HN3 Carl D. Dudley, Rocky Mount, NC
I Co, 3rd Bn, 26th Marines
2nd LT Dale Charles Allen
Dale grew up in the town of Deshler in Northwest Ohio. He graduated from Defiance College where he played varsity baseball. After college he spent 3 years in the Peace Corps and was stationed in Columbia where he became fluent in Spanish. Dale then joined the Marines and was commissioned. He was 2nd Platoon Commander in I 3/26 and was KIA attempting to eject the NVA and recover the CAP Oscar Marine MIAs (later determined to be KIA) from the ambush on Hill 689. He was buried in his hometown of Deshler. (Information courtesy of Mike Hemmert, who was in OCS with Dale.)
SSGT Donald P. Hamilton, Alicia, AR
CPL Anthony Dicesare, KIA 27 June 1967
Anthony DiCesare Jr. was born on 11/30/1944, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Anthony DiCesare of 496 Riverside Av. in Trenton, NJ. He graduated from Trenton High School in 1963, was an outstanding tackle on the football squad and was an honorable mention on the Associated Press All-State team. He declined a scholarship to Wake Forest and entered Rider College, but was injured in a sports accident in his sophomore year. After recovering, he dropped out of college and entered the Marines for two years. He only had 2 1/2 months left in Vietnam when he was killed by rocket fire. He was 22 years old. In an interview at the time, his father said he "was just counting the days until he got home." A letter received just before his death recounted how DiCesare escaped injury by diving into a foxhole during a battle that wounded a buddy. In addition to his parents, he was survived by two sisters, Mrs. Rose Smith of Arizona and Mrs. Cecilia Auletta of Trenton.
CPL Richard L. Walker, Pikesville, MD
CPL Stephen G. Wassenich, Dayton, OH
LCPL Jeffrey J. David, Camp Hill, PA
LCPL Charles M. Gattis, Crete, IL (DoW 07/05/1967)
LCPL Alejandro R. Godinez, Los Angeles, CA
LCPL Freddie L. Johnson, Sandersville, GA
LCPL Kenneth A. Millard, Long Beach, CA
L Co, 3rd Bn, 26th Marines
CPT Franklin Delano Bynum, Columbus, GA (Company Commander)
According to his comrade, Joe Beck of H 3/26, CPT Bynum was CO of K Co. from the time that the unit formed at Camp Pendleton in June 1966 until he transferred to Bn HQ in Jan-Feb 1967. He was later assigned to L Co. as the CO, in which capacity he was acting at the time of his death. CPT Bynum was med-evaced, but died as a result of his wounds. (Note: One survivor of his unit is of the opinion that this is not CPT Bynum's photo. However, I got it from his memorial site on the VVMF virtual Wall. Can anyone clarify this, or provide another photo?)
PFC Fredrick J. Brenke, St Peter, MN
PFC William J. Williams, Elizabethton, TN
Thanks are due to these and the other brave men who joined the CAP Marines to try to recover their lost comrades, and our condolences to the families and friends of those killed in the attempt. If anyone has a photo of or information on any of these men, I would be grateful for a good JPG copy to post here with their names.
These men are also remembered at the Vietnam Veterans' War Memorial site, and some are also on the Virtual Wall.
Ambush and Rescue Operations on Hill 471, 29 January, 1968
After the initial assault on Khe Sanh village, Combined Action Company Oscar and all other American units were withdrawn to the Khe Sanh Combat Base. However, the Marine command refused entry to our Bru allies. Fortunately, the command of Special Forces Forward Operating Base 3 were glad to get our Bru soldiers (they also used Bru tribesmen in their CIDG units) - they were so happy to get more Bru, they even took the Marines! As a result, we fought and worked alongside them for the duration of the Siege, and occasionally ran patrols and outposts for them. In a few instances, we participated as volunteers in their operations. This describes one of them.
MSGT Bill Wood & his team, FOB 3, Khe Sanh, c. 1968
L-R: SFC Don Voorhees (?), SSG Gary Crone (?), unidentified American and Bru (possibly another unidentified Bru behind the first), MSG Bill Wood with two unidentified Bru behind him and to his left.
(Photo by John Frescura (?) supplied courtesy of Dennis Tredinnick.)
(The following information was taken mainly from a letter and account of the action written March 10, 1997 from MSG Bill Wood to MAJ Harlan E. Van Winkle, US Army Special Forces, and to a lesser extent from official records.)
MSG Bill Wood and his team ran a mission to Hill 471, vicinity of Khe Sanh, on the morning of 29 January, 1968. The team consisted of himself, SFC Don Voorhees, SSG Gary Crone, and Bru CIDG soldiers Xon, To, Tu, and 7 other Bru whose names are not known, with SP5 Mike Mahoney as a volunteer "straphanger." All the team except MSG Wood, SSG Crone, and one of the Bru were new.
The team was ambushed shortly after reaching the saddle of Hill 471 and came under heavy enemy fire, resulting in the team being split into three parts. One element consisted of MSG Wood and SSG Gary Crone, the second consisted of SFC Voorhees, and five of the remaining Bru CIDG accompanying them, and the third consisted of SP5 Michael Mahoney and at least two Bru CIDG. (Note: Several Bru are not accounted for in any of the records I currently have access to.)
SSG Crone was KIA by enemy fire while trying to call in support, and his radio (the only one the team had) was rendered completely inoperable. MSG Wood was unable to recover SSG Crone's remains alone, so he rejoined SFC Voorhees and his segment of the team, which had already suffered two Bru casualties - their M-79 gunner was KIA and Xon was WIA.
SP5 Mahoney was not with SFC Voorhees group. According to the official record, he had attempted to cover the retreat of his comrades and was hit by enemy fire. However, the official record errs in listing him as being KIA at this time, as an American was reported alive and moving by several observers at KSCB and FOB 3, at least as late as the time our relief force launched to recover the casualties. Since SSG Crone was undoubtedly KIA at the onset, that leaves only one possible American unaccounted for - SP5 Mahoney. (See below for details.)
MSG Wood and SFC Voorhees determined to withdraw, as they had heavy casualties, no communications, and were seriously outnumbered. During the withdrawal, MSG Wood was wounded in the leg and Tu, one of the Bru CIDG, was KIA. Unable to communicate otherwise, MSG Wood wrote down a situation report and handed it to one of the remaining Bru CIDG with instructions to try to evade the enemy and get back to FOB 3.
After the Bru had left on his mission, an H-34 helicopter piloted by LT Thieu, a Vietnamese pilot, dropped in suddenly despite the danger, and picked up MSG Wood, SFC Voorhees, and the remaining Bru CIDG. The LZ was too hot to recover any of the casualties, and SP5 Mahoney and his Bru were not in view at that time.
Casualties from this action included:
SSG GARY LEE CRONE
U. S. Army Special Forces, FOB-3
KIA 29 January 1968
Gary was born on December 3rd, 1941. His home of record was York, PA. He joined the army, and had served for 8 years at the time of his death. Gary was promoted to Staff Sergeant and at the time of his death was serving with Special Forces at FOB 3, Khe Sanh, RVN, as a member of a reconnaissance team under the late MSG Bill Wood on a mission to Hill 471, vicinity of Khe San. His team was ambushed, and SSG Crone was KIA. His remains were not recovered until after the Siege, in early April 1968. (See above for details.) After recovery and repatriation, his remains were interred in Zion View, PA. His parents are buried there as well. Gary is survived by several family members, one of whom, his eldest sister, provided the photograph above and some of his biographical details.
Gary is honored on Panel 35E, Row 58, and on the Vietnam Veterans' War Memorial site. I have also posted a remembrance for him on the Virtual Wall, and there is a mention of him on the Medics on the Wall site.
(Note: there has been a story circulating for years that SSG Crone was captured alive and decapitated by the NVA. MSG Wood's comments clearly demonstrate that this tale is incorrect, as SSG Crone was definitely KIA at the onset of the action. The story probably started because the head became detached from the body when it was recovered, after months of exposure. Whatever else the NVA or VC may have been responsible for, this was not one of them. MSG Wood expressed indignation about this story, as he viewed it as implying that he had left SSG Crone while he was still alive.)
Gary's sister sent me this poem that was returned with his effects. She believes it was either written by Gary or was important to him. It would have been written before his last patrol, as his death was too sudden for him to have penned it at the time he was killed. It seems strangely prophetic.
We have both had several English PhD professors look it over (several of them poets) and they have said they cannot find it under another author, but one said that it was a good piece of minimalist poetry. The other said;
"There's a kind of echo of the moment in "All Quiet on the Western Front" when the soldier in the trenches sees a butterfly, and while admiring its beauty is shot and killed. This appeared in the book, but was a major feature of the film, and might have stayed in this writer's imagination: that solitude and that quiet reflectiveness associated with the moment of death. What's interesting here is the existentialist awareness of our inability to make sense of things: one of the great legacies of the Second World War. It's notable that this writer does not make a cheap joke or a sentimental moment out of this sense of absurdity, but just quietly speaks and fades away."
I agree. In any case, here it is as received.
When I was young,
I was told over and over
You know nothing..
I searched,
I listened, I saw, and still,
I know nothing
Now as I lay in darkness
and my blood seeps slowly into the earth
I open my eyes and see..
A spider mending his web,
Now I know
That I still know nothing.
SP5 MICHAEL THOMAS MAHONEY
U. S. Army Special Forces, FOB-3
KIA 29 January 1968
(Photo courtesy of Peggy Mahoney)
Tommy, (as his family called him), was born in Sayre, Pa. on October 18, 1945. He graduated from Towanda Area High School in 1963 and Lake City Forest Ranger School in Lake City, Fla., in 1964. Among his interests Tom liked football, skydiving and hunting.
Tommy joined the army on Sept. 20, 1965, and was promoted to Specialist 5. He was serving with Headquarters and Headquarters Company (Command and Control), 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces when he was killed while serving as a volunteer member of the reconnaissance team under the late MSG Bill Wood (above). His team was ambushed and came under heavy enemy fire, resulting in the team being split. According to the official record, Tommy positioned himself in front of the team and commenced to lay a heavy volume of automatic weapon fire while his team was moving to a secure area. After the team had reached a relatively secure area, he attempted to withdraw but was hit by enemy fire.
The "official" account is incorrect at this point as it states Tommy was KIA. However, based on reports by ground observers at Khe Sanh Combat Base and aerial observers, though he was badly wounded in the leg, he fashioned a make-shift crutch and was seen alive for some time evading the enemy forces and attempting to reach US forces. He was unable to, and we were unfortunately unaware of his position and situation until after our return. At some point, he must have either died of wounds, or been hit again. He was run as MIA, and his remains were not recovered until after the Siege, in early April 1968, by Navy HN Robert "Johnny" Gaspard and Marines from Company C, 1/9, who were digging in on the hill after it was re-taken. "Doc" Gaspard noted; "He had a broken leg and what appeared to be a walking stick (crutch) besides him."
Tommy was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with V for Valor and Oak Leaf Cluster for Meritorious Service, the Purple Heart, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnamese Service Medal, Vietnamese Campaign Ribbon and the Combat Infantryman's Badge.
Tommy was 22 years old and was survived by his parents, Rita B. and Francis S. Mahoney and 3 sisters, one of whom, Peggy, provided his picture. He is remembered on Panel 35E, Line 61 of the Vietnam Memorial. He is also remembered on the Vietnam Veterans' War Memorial site. I have also posted a memorial for him at the Virtual Wall site.
Bru CIDG troops with MSG Woods team:
Tu - KIA
1 Bru unknown - KIA
Xon - WIA
To - Status Unknown
6 Bru unknown - Status Unknown
I regret I don't have all their names, pictures, and information. They served well, and deserve remembrance.
Shortly after MSG Wood's med-evac, an American Special Forces team, HF Denver, plus the author as a volunteer "straphanger" augmented by Bru CIDG forces, were assembled to attempt to recover SFC Crone's remains, MIA SP5 Mahoney and the other KIA / WIAs.
Much of the following is drawn from the written account of the team leader, CPT H. E. "Rip" Van Winkle, as edited and updated by the writer. It is based on contemporary after-action reports, maps, official accounts, and personal recollections of the surviving team members.
"I was unable to speak to the wounded team leader prior to his medevac, which left a large gap in first hand information. This lack proved critical in all subsequent mission decisions. The decision was made to go in with eight Americans and sixteen Bru."
(Ed. Note: Such knowledge probably would have been of small value in any case, as MSG Wood's estimate of enemy forces was either low, or the enemy had placed more troops in the area between the ambush of his team and the arrival of HF Denver.)
The American team members were:
CPT Harlan E. 'Rip' Van Winkle, XO, "A" 221
lLT Grenville Sutcliffe, FOB 3 Assistant S-3 Officer (Rip's designated replacement).
SFC Robert Scully, Medic, FOB 3
SFC Charles N. Tredinnick, Senior Combat Engineer. "A" 221
SGT Dennis C. Lansing, Junior Communications NCO, "A" 221
SGT Donald R. Rumph, Junior Medic "A" 221
SP5 John L. Frescura, Junior Combat Engineer. "A" 221
PFC Freeman J. Taylor, USMC, CAC O-2
Top to Bottom: 1LT Grenville Sutcliffe, CPT H. E. "Rip" Van Winkle, SGT Dennis Craig Lansing
U. S. Army Special Forces, FOB-3, January 1968
SP5 John Frescura
U. S. Army Special Forces, FOB-3 (Date and place of picture not known.)
"We lifted off at 1135 hours and inserted on the southeastern point of the ridge-line of Hill 471. The insertion went off without problems. Cover was non-existent and concealment limited to a stand of elephant grass that averaged less than three feet in height and a few scraggly bushes.
We set up a hasty perimeter with SFC Tredinnick. SP5 Frescura and four Bru took the east, SGT Lansing, SGT Rumph and four Bru were covering the north. 1LT Sutcliffe, SFC Scully and four Bru covered west, while PFC Taylor and I, with the remaining four Bru covered the south. The saddle where the bodies were located was to the front of Tredinnick and Frescura.
Tredinnick took three Bru and moved forward, down into the saddle and up to the top of the small peak on the other side, a distance of perhaps 150-175 meters. They did not locate the bodies or make any contact. However, Tredinnick relayed that he had spotted a large force of enemy ground troops attempting to encircle us from the east. I instructed him to return to the ridgeline and reestablish the perimeter.
Upon his return, he moved to my position. We were discussing our situation when we heard and spotted movement in a small bush directly to our front, probably less than six feet away. Tredinnick asked; "What was that?" just before we were fired upon by an enemy rifleman from a well concealed fighting position. The rounds passed between us. How they missed hitting us, I'll never know. We returned fire and I dropped an M-26 fragmentation grenade into the hole.
A short time later lLT Sutcliffe received a serious wound in the throat while using the radio to get and coordinate support. Tredinnick and I both went to him. SFC Scully was already working on him and Tredinnick started back to his position in the perimeter. I turned my attention to getting fire support. We received fire from every point except the north, with the heaviest coming from the west and southeast.
A literal storm of enemy hand grenades were then thrown into our position. Some reports stated the sky turned "black" with grenades. PFC Taylor shouted a warning and gave me a "friendly" shove. For as many grenades as were thrown, there seemed to be a lot of "duds". Others did not explode with nearly the force of US grenades. One of the weaker ones went off between my legs and I received a dozen or so painful, but not disabling, fragmentation wounds.
I heard the distinctive sound of a bullet strike someone behind me. I turned and saw Tredinnick lying on the ground. (Ed. Note: SFC Tredinnick had been heading back to his exposed position to rally his strikers.) SGT Rumph, PFC Taylor and I converged on him. He had been wounded low down on the left side of his chest. The entrance wound was very small but the exit wound was massive. His last words to me were; "It hurts real bad, sir." Rumph and Taylor were performing immediate first aid, and I put all of my effort to moving us some place reasonably safe for a medevac.
The volume of enemy fire was such that I felt we were in danger of being overrun at any point. Fire support was limited to our helicopter gunships, unable to do much because of the close proximity of the two forces. During one of the gunship runs, the door gunner missed Taylor and me by less than six inches and shot La, the Bru platoon leader in both legs, shattering both of them. I don't fault the gunner. He was doing his best to provide needed support under very trying circumstances. We had not received any fire from the north, and SGT Rumph, SFC Scully, and PFC Taylor were already hauling wounded down the steep north slope of the hill.
SGT Lansing had turned his attention to the threat from the south and west, focusing on a small gully that led from the south slope directly into our position. While positioning his Bru machine gunner, Pa Lang, to cover this approach, the gunner was shot dead, and the entire element was pinned down. By then, the only Americans still on the hill and carrying on the fight were SGT Lansing, SP5 Frescura and myself. The others were either wounded or assisting with the wounded. Perhaps ten or eleven of the Bru were also still firing.
We started to ease back from the south slope trying to put a little distance between us and the enemy. The width of the ridge line where we were was less than sixty meters and the enemy owned at least a third of that. By getting my force down below the crest on the north side, I was finally able to call in some air strikes. We had been on the ground over an hour and the fight itself was about forty-five minutes old.
The Forward Air Controller (FAC) on hand when we inserted had to leave us to refuel. He was replaced by a USMC FAC with the call sign of "American Beauty Delta". This gentleman deserves a lot of credit for getting the rest of us off the hill alive with little further damage. The manner in which he coordinated all of the air support into that one small area without doing us any more damage was nothing short of phenomenal. He was also dealing with two battalion size enemy units within 400-500 meters that were trying to get between us and the FOB.)
We were able to gain some fire superiority with the help of US Army and USMC gunships and some pinpoint bombing from USAF "fastmovers" in the area. One USAF pilot stated his ordnance was napalm and cluster bomb units, but that we were too close to the impact area for him to drop it. I told American Beauty Delta that without the support, we would have more serious problems. The air strike came in on target.
I can't estimate the amount of ordnance expended on our behalf that afternoon. It was all considered "Danger Close" and that even with all of the helicopter gunship rocket runs, and numerous 250 pound bombs, followed with CBU's, the enemy pressure was still very intense. Not until they dropped the napalm did the close-in enemy fire disappear.
We were finally able to get two medevac helicopters in. One was a US Army Medevac and the other was one of MACV-SOG's King Bees (H-34), one of the helicopters we had inserted on earlier. SFC Dick Sweezy, the Senior medic on A-221, had offered his assistance and came in with the US Army medevac ship. He stated that he couldn't understand why we were having such difficulty loading the wounded. The ship he was in crash-landed at the FOB, with over two hundred new bullet holes.
I estimate the unit which initiated fire on us was at least a reinforced platoon, and there were much larger units (estimated at two battalions) seen during the fight in the near vicinity.
(Editor's Note: According to reports from personnel observing the action, including the FAC and ground observers at KSCB, the number of enemy engaged was a reinforced company, with battalion-sized elements closing fast.)
SFC Tredinnick was mortally wounded. He was awarded the Silver Star for his actions that day. We lost one Bru KIA and had two Americans WIA and six Bru WIA. Following the final medevac and seeing all survivors were off the hill, we finally moved by foot back to the FOB. We were met about 600 meters from the gate by a rescue unit lead by SFC Robert Cavanaugh. He gave me the word that Tredinnick had died. All of that and we did not accomplish what we set out to do."
The remains were eventually recovered in April 1968 by a Marine unit and a team led by CPT Hammond Salley, which included SF medic Denis Chericone. (See below.)
Casualties from this action included:
SFC CHARLES NICHOLAS TREDINNICK
U. S. Army Special Forces, FOB-3
KIA 29 January 1968
(Photo courtesy of his wife, the late Joy Tredinnick, and cousin, Dennis L. Tredinnick)
Born at Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania on 13 December 1934, Charles Nicholas Tredinnick entered the United States Army from Dallas, Pennsylvania, in 1953, at the age of 19. He had served for over 14 years when he was assigned to the 5th Special Forces Group in Vietnam.
He finished basic training and was married to the late Joy Keller in their home town on 3 July 1954, while on leave before going to airborne training. They moved to Fayetteville in November, 1954.
Chuck next joined the Special Forces, serving in the US and abroad. After his return from Germany, he and Joy bought a home in Fayetteville. He was later assigned overseas again and sent to Vietnam.
Having nearly completed his combat tour, Chuck and his team-mates were scheduled to return to Okinawa (and then CONUS) within a day. However, they volunteered to attempt to recover the bodies of some comrades, and a possible MIA / POW from another SF team under the late MSGT Bill Wood who had been ambushed earlier that day (29 January 1968) on Hill 471 just outside Khe Sanh Combat Base. A team of American Special Forces soldiers (ODA-221, plus the writer as a volunteer) and Bru CIDG forces were assembled to accomplish this task. However, the attempt was ultimately unsuccessful, due to the presence of a much larger enemy force on the hill, estimated at reinforced company, with a battalion maneuvering in to cut off the American force. SFC Tredinnick was killed in action during the ensuing close combat. He died with his face to the enemy.
SFC Tredinnick was awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in action, and the Purple Heart. He had previously received the Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster and the Purple Heart, among other decorations and ribbons, as well as various commendations.
He was interred with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery. He was survived by his wife, Ms. Joy Keller Tredinnick, of Fayetteville, NC, his sister Jean Tredinnick Donnora, and brothers Arthur and Dennis C. Tredinnick, and his cousin, Dennis L. Tredinnick.
Joy never remarried, and remained in their home in Fayetteville until she died on 28 March 2005. She was interred with Chuck in Arlington National Cemetery on 8 April 2005. She is survived by her sister, Ms. Patsy Goodwin, and her friend, Helen Daley, who cared for her in her last days.
Chuck is remembered on Panel 35E, Row 63 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Remembrances can be viewed at the Arlington Cemetery Site, at Vietnam Veterans' War Memorial site and at The Virtual Wall.
1LT Grenville Sutcliffe
U. S. Army Special Forces, FOB-3
WIA, 29 January 1968
1st LT Grenville Sutcliffe was slated to take over Rip's duties when he rotated. He was a volunteer for the action on Hill 471. His story is mentioned in the description of the action above. Despite being badly wounded, Gren survived, and is now president of Husky Corporation, manufacturer of gas-pump nozzles widely used in the USA and elsewhere. One of his sons is currently serving on active duty in the USMC as a pilot.
Bru CIDG troops with HF Denver:
Pa Lang - M-60 gunner - KIA
La - Interpreter - WIA
Lao, Platoon Leader - WIA
4 other Bru, names not known - wounded.
16 Bru were with us altogether. I regret I don't have all their names. They all served well, and deserve remembrance.
LCPL BILLY DALE LIVINGSTON, USMC
KIA, 26 February 1968
(Photo courtesy of Doc John Roberts, O-2)
Billy Dale Livingston was born on 9 April 1949. He joined the Marines in Alma, Arkansas. His MOS was 0311. He had been in in-country since 15 Aug. 1967. His rank at time of death was PFC, but he received a posthumous promotion to LCPL (E3). Billy lost his life to "friendly fire" from a US aircraft, while serving on FOB 3, adjacent to the Khe Sanh Combat Base in Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam. He was just short of his 19th birthday.
Billy was single at the time of his death, though "Doc" Roberts (O-2) said in a telephone interview in August 2005 that Billy used to talk to him about a girlfriend he planned to marry. His name is on the Vietnam Memorial Wall on Panel 41E, Row 40. He is also remembered on the Virtual Wall, and on the Vietnam Veterans' War Memorial site
Departed Comrades (Non-Combat)
CPL CRAIG WILLIAM ALBERS, USMC
Died 15 APRIL 1982
(Photo courtesy of his family - taken from a newspaper article)
CPL Albers was an aspiring track and field athlete, whose nickname was "Slats" (referring to his build). On 14 June 1967, he and another CAP Marine were removing "friendly" mines from the O-3 fields of fire (coordinates XD842408), but they didn't have the map of the field. An explosion occurred which seriously wounded him and the other Marine. Craig lost both legs above the knee, and an arm, and was med-evaced. (Does anyone have the name of the other Marine, and / or their pictures?) After a period in the Oak Knoll Naval Hospital, he returned to his home town (in the vicinity of Beaverton, OR) where the people built him a wheel-chair accessible home in gratitude for his service. Craig became a good pool shooter, despite his disabilities, using a specially made bridge to steady the cue. He died in 1982 of kidney failure and complications of his diabetes. Craig was survived by his parents, James Albers and Barbara Wilson (now both deceased) and his brothers Bruce and Scott, and sisters Tammara and Erin. Any other details or pictures would be welcome.
SFC Robert Scully
U. S. Army Special Forces, FOB-3, Khe Sanh Died 5/25/1985
Bob Scully was one of the medics with us on Hill 471. His services proved invaluable that day, as did those of his comrades, Don Rumph (also on the team), and Dick Sweezy, who came in on the med-evac chopper. Bob, a skilled medic, later became the first US Army Physician’s Assistant. He unfortunately died on 5/25/1985, shortly after his retirement, of Hodgkin's Lymphoma, a cancer later associated with exposure to Agent Orange. If anyone has any pictures or further information on Bob, please send me a good JPEG copy for photos and an E or txt file for information.
CPT THOMAS B. STAMPER, USMC (Ret.)
26 October 1934 - 04 September 1996
CPT (then 1stLT) Stamper was the last CO of Oscar Company.
CPT Stamper enlisted in the Marine Corps and rose through the ranks. He was a Drill Instructor at Parris Island, and was commissioned in 1966. Prior to arriving at Khe Sanh, CPT Stamper had been a Platoon Commander with 3/3 at ALPHA-3. He later informed me that this unit was overrun the night before he arrived with every officer killed.
He arrived at Khe Sanh on 27 December 1967, shortly before the Tet assault, to replace CPT Ernest L. Elmore who had received his third Purple Heart and was rotated.
After the initial attack on Khe Sanh village, he was directed by COL David Lownds, commander of the Khe Sanh Combat Base, to relocate his unit via air from Khe Sanh ville to the base, where they were then deployed on the front lines of the Army Special Forces FOB-3 compound.
CPT Stamper retired from the Marines in 1975, and worked as a JROTC unit instructor at a high school, after which he became a salesman. He died of cancer in 1996, and was interred in the National Cemetery at Salisbury, NC. He is survived by his wife of 39 years, Shirley, and their three children.
(NOTE: Tom said to me at a reunion a few years before his death that the thing that meant the most to him in his tour was that most of the men in Oscar survived the Siege and went home alive.)
MSG William Wood, USA (Ret.)
d. October, 1998
The late MSG Wood, a career soldier and veteran of Korea as well as Vietnam, led the first team that was ambushed on Hill 471, vicinity of Khe Sanh Combat Base, on 29 January 1968. (See above article on Hill 471 for details.) He later attained a doctoral degree in history. Anyone with more details on MSG Wood's life and career please contact me.
CPT WILLIAM T. SERMEUS, USMC
12 May 1943 - 4 April 2003
CPT (then 1stLT) Sermeus was the first CO of Oscar Co., beginning in about Feb. 1967. He is survived by his wife and 3 children. He was interred in Arlington Cemetery on 12 May 2003. (I had a photo believed to be of CPT Sermeus, but his daughter informed me it was not, although one of his men informed me otherwise. She had promised me a picture, but never sent it. Does anyone have another picture of CPT Sermeus?)
SGT RAYMOND M. GRAY, USMC, O-1
4 January 1943 - 10 March 2005
(Photo courtesy of Raymond Gray)
Ray joined the Marines in June of 1965, and served until June of 1971. His first tour in Viet Nam was from 1966 - 1967. Prior to coming to Oscar Co., he had been in the infantry with Echo Co., 2/26. He said of that period; "First we'd try to catch them and make them run. Then we'd try to catch them again." (This is a phrase that is probably familiar to infantrymen as far back as war goes!) He said Echo "wasn't as bad as some of the units" he served in.
Ray was a member of the "Plank Crew" of Oscar company, joining in February, 1967. He later served another tour from 1969-70 with Gulf 2/7, but Combined Action remained his favorite unit, and the Bru his favorite people among the Vietnamese.
He had many interesting stories of Oscar in the early days, and was very generous in contributing his time and photos. Some of his stories will be found in the Oscar Co. history section when it is completed. He always had a kind word for everyone, and was a genuinely kind and generous man. He leaves a widow, Sylvia, his wife of 27 years. Larry Larsen of SU 5 has a great memorial to Ray here. Ray is buried at Oak View Memorial Park Cemetary in Antioch, CA. He will be sorely missed.
SFC James Perry, USA (Ret.)
February 26, 1934 - February 12th, 2006
SFC Perry with Co Cha administering medical care to Bru villagers, Khe Sahn, 1967.
(Photo courtesy of COL Bruce B. G. Clarke, USA, Ret.)
SFC James Perry, the heroic medic of the Army Advisory Team at Khe Sanh, passed away on February 12th, 2006 from cancer (probably a result of his exposure to Agent Orange). During the initial assault on Khe Sanh village, Jim supervised the medical personnel, and worked on the wounded as they came in, fearlessly exposing himself to enemy fire in the course of the night as he cared for the wounded.
Following the initial assaults, the American forces were ordered evacuate the village by air. Jim then worked throughout the Siege on the casualties we sustained.
Following the Siege, Jim was re-assigned to the refugee camp established in the Cua Valley. The Dega (and other minorities) in these camps suffered greatly since the South Vietnamese government (like its current successor) had no real interest in their welfare, and considered them fit only to be assimilated or destroyed. Therefore, food, clothing, supplies and medicine were always in short supply. Despite this, Jim worked heroically with the limited means at his disposal to relieve the suffering of the people he had come to love. For his heroism and fortitude, Jim was awarded the Bronze Star, though CPT (later COL) Bruce B. G. Clarke, the Khe Sanh AAT C.O.) had recommended him for a higher award. Due to the efforts of Clarke and others, Jim was finally posthumously awarded the Silver Star medal for gallantry in action - which, in the opinion of those of us who knew him and his work, is still less than he deserved.
COL James Edward Stanton, USMC
Feb. 1, 1937 - Nov. 6, 2007
(Photo courtesy of the late Jim Stanton)
Jim Stanton was born in Detroit, Michigan to Edward Hamilton Stanton and Elizabeth Dorean James Stanton. He grew up in Ferndale and Pleasant Ridge, Michigan, and attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio on a NROTC Scholarship. Taking the Marine Corps option upon graduation in June of 1959, Jim was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps on June 8, 1959. Five days after his commission, Jim married Elaine (Rasch) Stanton of Highland Park, Michigan, and together they started his thirty year career in the Marine Corps.
Upon completion of The Basic School in Quantico, VA, Jim attended the Artillery Basic Course and the Artillery Officer's Career Course. He held various positions and attended several schools in the Marine Corps.
While serving in Vietnam, Jim was acting as an aerial observer and supporting arms coordinator on January 29th, 1968, for ODA-221 during our unsuccessful attempt to recover the dead and missing men from a team that had been ambushed earlier that day on Hill 471 (see above). Known to us at that time only by his call sign "American Beauty Delta" (a name which he later told us he did not pick and had hated), he cooly flew overhead during the fight despite enemy fire, directing and coordinating the "fast-movers" and other aircraft in laying down heavy supporting fire. In the words of the man leading the team, H. E. Van Winkle, US Special Forces:
"The Forward Air Controller (FAC) on hand when we inserted had to leave us to refuel. He was replaced by a USMC FAC with the call sign of "American Beauty Delta" (Major James Stanton). This gentleman deserves a lot of credit for getting the rest of us off the hill with little further damage. The manner in which he coordinated all of the air support into that one small area without doing us any more damage was nothing short of phenomenal. He was also dealing with two battalion size enemy units that were trying to get between us and the FOB. These were enemy troops spotted moving in the open within 400-500 meters from Hill 471."
It is unlikely that any of us would have survived had it not been for his coolness and accuracy in calling fire. Every man on that hill who survived owes his life to Jim. We did not meet Jim then, but he got in touch over 20 years later after reading an account of the action by MAJ H. E. Van Winkle in an issue of Red Clay, the Khe Sanh Veteran's magazine, and attended some reunions with us.
Jim was later the Marine Corps representative to Research and Development at Fort Ord from July of 1979 until his promotion to Colonel in June of 1981, when he assumed the Command of the 23rd Marine Regiment in Alameda, CA. He later served as Chief of Staff at the United States Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twenty Nine Palms, CA.
Among the decorations Jim earned during his service were the following medals: Legion of Merit, Bronze Star w/Combat "V", Purple Heart, Air Medal w/Numeral 10, Humanitarian Service Medal, Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal, National Defense Medal, Vietnam Service Medal w/5 Stars, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Vietnam Commendation Medal, and the Vietnamese Campaign Medal. He also earned a number of ribbons including the: Presidential Unit Citation, Navy Unit Citation, Meritorious Unit Citation, Combat Action Ribbon, Navy and Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon, Republic of Vietnam Meritorious Unit Citation (Gallantry Cross) Medal Color w/Palm. Jim also received a number of Letters of Commendation and Appreciation. (Not all Jim's medals and ribbons are illustrated above - I hope to rectify that in the near future.)
Jim and Elaine returned to North Monterey County upon his retirement from the civilian sector in 1998. Jim was involved with numerous activities, and was a member of All Saints Episcopal Church.
Jim passed away on the 6th of November, 2007, following a long battle with a series of illnesses. His memorial service was, appropriately, on the 10th of November, the day Marines call the Marine Corps Birthday. (This date was chosen as it was the traditional date of the founding of the Continental Marine Corps, predecessor unit of the present United States Marine Corps, in 1775 [appropriately] in a pub!)
Jim is survived by his loving wife of 48 years, Elaine, daughters Susan, Amie and Katie, brother Tom and his wife Marilyn, brother and sister in-laws Martha and Dave, grandchildren Abigail and Simon, and nieces and nephews, as well as those of us fortunate enough to still be here because of his courage and professionalism.
LCPL George Albert Vachlin, USMC
March 19, 1947 - April 13th, 2008
(Photo courtesy of his family)
George Vachlin was born in Vancouver, WA, to Karl and Norma (Haney) Vachlin. The family relocated to Chicago, IL in 1954.
George enlisted in the US Marine Corps on May 17th, 1966.
Prior to CAP, George came to Vietnam on the USS Iwo Jima with BLT 1/4. He served as a Motor Transport driver and .50 MG gunner on a "deuce and a half" truck for convoys.
George drove all through I Corps, including Gio Linh, Con Thien, Dong Ha, and Khe Sanh. (George once wrote to me; "I fell in love with Khe Sahn."), and down Highway 9 to Highway 1 to Phu Bai.
He volunteered for CAC and served in O-1 in 1967 and 1968, before and during the Siege of Khe Sanh. He later also served in another CAP unit in the Hue-Phu Bai area after Oscar was disbanded following the Siege. (Possibly A-4.)
George received an honorable discharge on December 31st, 1969.
After the Marines, George lived in Wisconsin and Illinois, eventually settling in Savanna, IL. He enjoyed fishing and spending time with his dog, Flash, and spending time with his friends and family. He was also a member of, and served as color guard for the Shaw-Leavens VFW Post 2223.
George contracted cancer, and although he took treatment, it recurred later. Despite the prognosis, George me in a letter that he was going to; "just keep fighting and fighting and fighting." That is what he did, right to the end. He passed away in a VA Hospital on Sunday the 13th of April, 2008. He had suffered from throat cancer and related respiratory ailments. His family had been to see him the day before, and his beloved dog was allowed in for a visit as well. The family mentioned that the care and support George received from the VA staff was incredible.
Services were conducted on Sunday, 27 April, 2008. His family members were in attendance. He is survived by his mother, Norma, a son Frank, his brother Carl J. and Carl's wife Mary, and a nephew, Carl A. Vachlin, and nieces Victoria Weiser, Rebecca Catalano, great-nephews Brendan Weiser and Karl T. Vachlin, and great-niece Erin Rose Vachlin. He had been predeceased by his father Karl and younger sister Genevieve.
On display at the service was a reproduction of a USMC company guidon marked CAP Oscar, originally made by my wife, Lisa, for the 1993 Khe Sanh Vets Reunion in Washington, D.C. When I learned of George's demise, I decided to send it along to the family for his memorial service. "Doc" John Roberts (O-2) has been custodian of the guidon since Nov. 2006, and quickly dispatched it. The family expressed gratitude for the use of the guidon, and I am planning to extend this service to all members.
(Note: This site represents the result of many years of investigative work and research. I have tried to be as accurate throughout as possible, but there is no such thing as 100% perfect in documents of this nature. In cases where I was not present, I have relied on the accounts of those who were, official records, correspondence, statements from family, and other sources. I cannot guarantee that all material is 100% accurate, but it is as correct and accurate as I could make it. Statements, quotes, poems, or other material other than my own may not reflect my personal views, but those of the men who made them, and thus deemed important to a fuller understanding of them. Neither this author nor this site assumes any responsibility for any errata made in good faith based on the above research, nor for the views expressed here by those who made them. All photos, documents, and other materials used with the express permission of the persons named. Also, the host site and designer [E Web Design] assumes no responsibility for any of the above material whatsoever, acting only as a host for the site.)
The rest of this site has been temporarily taken off-line. I will notify CAP Oscar veterans and/or their families when it goes back up. You may wish to check back from time to time. If you are a CAP Oscar member or family member or survivor, or other person with a comment or query, you may contact me at:
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