THE WALL OF FACES

Upon my 1966 graduation from Seminole High (Sanford, Fl), Terry Cordell's classmates made a memorial donation in his honor: their regard for him and their desire to pass on that regard was very moving. I served (USMC) in Vietnam in 1970.

Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sun on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there; I did not die.

Mary Frye – 1932

I knew Terry when he served in Germany. He was a Plt Ldr with the 513th Trk Co supporting our unit. He had great troops and was always there -- he was a friend and compatriot.
Stephan Takacs

Terry was a great friend, classmate and soldier.

Terry Cordell was an exceptional Special Forces officer, a talented leader and a warm and compassionate man. His tragic loss continues to be an important event in my life almost forty years after that awful day. Terry was my boss. He commanded the Special Forces "A" Detachment at Buon Enao near Ban Me Thout. I commanded half of "A" Detachment 223 at Buon Tah. My team along with two other Special Forces Teams and their Rhade Strike Force units were conducting a coordinated operation against enemy units in the Buon Ho District of Darlac Province. Terry was flying close overhead in an Air Commando light plane commanding the operation. Captain Terry Cordell, Captain Herbert Booth (USAF) and TSGT Richard Fox (USAF) were lost when they flew low over the battlefield to support the ground units that were in combat. I did not know the two Air Commandos, but I knew Terry well. On October 15, 1962 this Nation lost a leader whose great potential was never realized. Only those of us who knew him know the true dimensions of that loss.