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Remember Their Names

Started by Al, May 29, 2023, 07:03:49 AM

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Al

Remember Their Names

On Memorial Day and I can't think of a better way to honor comrades I served with who paid the ultimate sacrifice. I posted something similar last year so please don't thing I'm not being lazy by doing a cut and paste. These people lived, fought and died while protecting the ideals and freedoms we enjoy today.

 About a year ago The Moving Vietnam Wall was at the Airborne & Special Operation Museum here in Fayetteville, NC. A friend and I went there and located 12 names of KIA whom I personally knew along with the details of their deaths. I have listed them below to honor and remember their names.

SP4 Robert (Tiffy) Roentsch - "Tiffy" Roentsch was from my hometown of Walpole NH. I remember him as being a couple grades behind me in school. He was one of the early casualties of the Vietnam War (KIA 19 Feb 66) which got a big write up in the local, regional and state newspapers. He was an army medic and was killed while rushing to administer first aid to his fellow soldiers. His profile is located at http://www.virtualwall.org/dr/RoentschRQ01a.htm

SP4 Gary Ball – He was also from my little hometown of Walpole NH. I knew him as the brother of Shirley Swain. She and her husband "Hector" befriended me by taking me in as one of their own kids during my time of need. Gary had just about completed a one year tour in Vietnam when he was tragically killed (16 Jul 68) by a negligent weapon discharge by a member of his own unit back in the rear area. His profile is located at http://www.virtualwall.org/db/BallGW01a.htm

 1LT Stephen Sparks – He was assigned to a Special Forces camp in the Mekong Delta not far from one of the camps where I was assigned. He was killed (11 Sep 68) while participating in a joint operation. I helped place his body on a Huey for the first leg of his final ride home. His profile is located at http://www.virtualwall.org/ds/SparksSD01a.htm

 PFC David Gardner – He was also from my hometown of Walpole NH (we were a small community of less than 3000 at the time). He one of thousands of enlisted who had no idea why they there – they just answered the call to duty. He had been "in country" less than four months when he was KIA on 11 Dec 68. His profile is located at http://www.virtualwall.org/dg/GardnerDE02a.htm

 PFC Dallas Padgett – Dallas was one of my medics at Special Forces camp Tuyen Nhon (A-415) located in the Mekong Delta. He was killed in an ambush on 6 Jan 69 and was the only USA soldier KIA directly under my command. He was a good medic and his death haunts me 50+ years later. I write a lot about Dallas in my book "My War – Vietnam 1968-69 1971-73" https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088SG8S6D . His profile is located at http://www.virtualwall.org/dp/PadgettDL01a.htm

 SFC Margarito (Chico) Fernandez – Chico was a Special Forces sergeant assigned the duty of advising a Vietnamese airboat company located near B-41 in Moc Hoa. I accompanied him on several airboat operations of which I write about in my book https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088SG8S6D . He was hit by friendly fire in Feb 69 and was medevaced to Can Tho where he died of wounds 30 days later on 18 Mar 69. His profile is located at http://www.virtualwall.org/df/FernandezMx01a.htm

 CPT Louis Geneseo – He was my replacement at my 2nd SF camp (Thanh Tri A-414). Ten days after I turned the camp over to him he and several others were killed (24 Jul 69) when the Huey he was riding in was blown out of the sky when it hovered to check out a suspicious object on the ground. Ten days earlier and I would have been on that helicopter. His wife who lived the next state over from my hometown contacted me to ask what happened. There was not much I could say other than to offer condolences. CPT Genesco's profile can be seen at http://www.virtualwall.org/dg/GeneseoLJ01a.htm

LTC Martin Beck – LTC Marty Beck replaced LTC Wes Herrlien as the B-41 (Moc Hoa) commander when Herrlien was WIA. I enjoyed working for both Herrlien and Beck. Beck was somewhat of a character who liked to carry an old fashioned gangster style sub-machine gun. Ten days after I turned Thanh Tri (A-414) over to Genesco, Beck and his Vietnamese counterpart flew into Thanh Tri, picked up Genesco and his Vietnamese counterpart and off they went to look over an area where they planned a future operation. (What happened next was verified by interviews in the incident report with another Huey crew who monitored radio traffic and my personal conversation with the B-41 S-3 who led a reaction force to secure the site and recover bodies) Someone spotted a suspicious object on the ground – Beck directed the Huey to hover so they could get a closer look. No one was sure what it was so Beck proceeded to fire it up with his sub-machine gun. The suspicious object turned out to be an unexploded 500 pound bomb – the sub-machine gun fire detonated it. The explosion blew the Huey out of the sky killing Beck, Genesco, their Vietnamese counterparts and the entire Huey crew – pilot, co-pilot, crew chief & door gunner. LTC Beck's profile can be seen at http://www.virtualwall.org/db/BeckMR02a.htm

SSG Perry Browning – He was my senior medic at my 1st SF camp (Tuyen Nhon A-415). Perry was a good medic who in addition to taking care of our team organized a cadre of Vietnamese medics who cared for our CIDG soldiers and their families. I remember one time watching him his assistant medic, PFC Padgett deliver a baby at the camp dispensary. All SF medics took their turn in the rotation to accompany the Vietnamese on operation. One operation got into a serious firefight with the VC which resulted in several CIDG casualties. Perry set up as hasty medical station and was attending the wounded when a VC grenade was tossed into the makeshift aid station. Perry picked it up and was in the process of tossing it back when it exploded killing him instantly. His profile can be seen at http://www.virtualwall.org/db/BrowningPN01a.htm

 SGM Wilbur Childress - He was a senior NCO at Bien Hoa during my 2nd tour in Vietnam. One evening he and a group of NCO's were examining a Swedish K, a sub-machine gun which was noted for being somewhat dangerous because it fired from the open bolt and did not have a safety. No one is sure exactly what happened but the weapon fired killing SGM Childress instantly. His profile can be seen at http://www.virtualwall.org/dc/ChildressWH01a.htm

 SGT Paul Lawing – SGT Lawing was my NCOIC perimeter security when I was the S-3 at Phuoc Tuy training Cambodians under the FANK program. I remember assigning him those duties and receiving regular briefing from him. Shortly after I was pulled to head the Armor MTT to help the ARVN retake Hue and the DMZ during what is known as The Easter Offensive (see chapter 18 of my book) one of the Phuoc Tuy range areas came under fire. SGT Lawing led a reaction force and was killed (14 Jun 72) in the firefight that followed. His profile can be seen at http://www.virtualwall.org/dl/LawingPH01a.htm

 CPT John Spires – CPT Spires was a MTT leader who I briefed prior to his team's assignment shortly after we phased out the Cambodian training program under FANK and switched to MTT's helping retrain the Vietnamese. I was the S-3 at Bien Hoa and managed the re-training program. He and two others were killed (22 Jul 72) when the jeep he was riding in detonated a mine near Kontum.

 To each of them I say "You are gone but I remember you. God Bless and Rest in Peace. I hope your families still remember and that they were able to carry on after your passing".

 I hope you don't mind if I add some personal comments – Like many of you I will be visiting the cemetery on Memorial Day to honor and remember someone special. I have faith that they are waiting for us to join them. In the meantime we must go on living. I believe our departed loved ones would say "Remember me, I will be here waiting, but go forth – be happy. Do good for others. Every day is a gift from God – make the most of it". 

rbphoto

#1


I never knew him. 

My father never knew him.

Neither of us would be born until long after he was gone.

Few people ever mentioned his name when I was growing up. 

Fewer still as I grow older.

No one is alive today who knew him.

I hold on to a handful of photographs with a young lady he loved and hoped to marry.

But not when he was heading off to war.

He was an Army Air Force Sgt who studied German in high school in rural Laurens, SC. 

He is listed as an "Actor" on his enlistment paperwork.

His flight left Morrison Field, FL for Borinquen Field, Puerto Rico but never arrived. 

Some scattered debris is all that was found.

Fourteen souls perished that day.

Among them Rumsley Thomas Bennett

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Raymond
"maybe procrastination is another word for fishing..." ben
"Just butchered my first silk kitty...." Wooly Bugger  January 26, 2018, 12:41:27 PM
You can't land an otter on 7x. Now I know - Dougfish

trout-r-us

#2
On this day my mind always drifts back to high school days, remembering the poor souls that never even had a chance to live the life so many of us have enjoyed.

My high school (North Catholic) lost 24 grads to the Viet Nam conflict, a small number compared to the 64 from one of the public schools in the neighborhood.

"Edison holds the distinction of having the most casualties from Vietnam than any other single high school in the United States. Two other city schools, Father Judge in Mayfair and the former Cardinal Dougherty each lost 27 former students North Catholic lost another two dozen."

WHY?

https://whyy.org/articles/new-documentary-honors-edison-high-schools-fallen-vietnam-war-troops/
"No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man."
― Heraclitus

Woolly Bugger

ex - I'm not going to live with you through one more fishing season!
me -There's a season?

Pastor explains icons to my son: you know like the fish symbol on the back of cars.
My son: My dad has two fish on his car and they're both trout!

Onslow

James Fletcher Reid was my wife's uncle.

He was drafted and deployed, killed in action in France within two weeks of deployment. My wife's deceased father(1976) drove him to DC to spend a few more hours with him.  Everyone knew it would be a one way trip.You cannot view this attachment.

He left behind a wife and a 6 month old.

 

trout-r-us

I'm not aware of any blood relatives dying in battle.
They only one even close I ever heard the family discuss was my dad's brother in law. Sub went out and never came back.
Then just a few years ago, the sub was found off of Russia.

https://www.oneternalpatrol.com/kirk-e-t.htm

https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=2330657&page=1
"No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man."
― Heraclitus