THE WALL OF FACES

My dad, your brother, talked about you all the time and though I never met you I still feel that special connection.

I was the battalion mail clerk for 704 main headquarters and company a. John replaced me as the new battalion mail clerk on September 10th 1967. I was told that you became dissatisfied with all the harassment by the new first sergeant and requested to transfer. I heard some time later that he had been shot down. Peace be with him.

At 10:13 PM on November 3, 1967, a 4th Infantry Division firebase in Darlac Province, RVN, manned by Company C, 1st Battalion, 22d Infantry, came under a North Vietnamese Army (NVA) mortar barrage followed by a ground attack. The base perimeter was probed from three sides, and by 10:55 PM, the attack had become so intense that the unit had to lower their howitzers tubes to direct fire angles to keep their perimeter intact. The attack lasted until 1:30 AM when the enemy withdrew. A dawn sweep outside the base resulted in twenty-four NVA bodies and one prisoner of war. Friendly losses from the encounter were one U.S. killed, SP5 Gary L. Hensley from D Battery, 5th Battalion, 16th Artillery, and eighteen wounded. A 4th Aviation Battalion gunship flying in support of the contact crashed and burned with the loss of all crew members. The aircraft, a U.S. Army helicopter UH-1C (tail number 66-00538), was making a gun run supporting the ground unit being overrun when the ship came under heavy fire. The helicopter, possibly damaged from the ground fire, flew into trees and exploded. Personnel in a wing gunship overheard aircraft commander 1LT James E. Pavlicek Jr. scream “Pull out!” two and a half times before they hit. Witnesses in the supporting gunship reported that the crash may have been caused by either target-fixation or enemy fire. Despite being a hazy night, the visibility in the area was reported to be good at the time. Ground troops located the crash site the following day. The lost crewmen included Pavlicek, co-pilot WO1 David E. Thomas, crew chief SP4 James E. Anderson, and gunner SP4 Randall W. Ernsberger. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org, vhpa.org, and “Lessons Learned, 4th Infantry Division, Period ending 31 January 1968” at cacti35th.com]

Thank you for your service to our country so long ago sir. Rest in eternal peace.

Not a day goes by when you are not on my mind. On the anniversary of your death, I read your letters and wonder what would of been. You will always be remembered, the pain never leaves.