THE WALL OF FACES

Specialist Four Major Roy Dalton Jr., Served with Battery D, 5th Battalion, 2nd Artillery Regiment, 23rd Artillery Group, Second Field Force, United States Army Vietnam. Montani Semper Liberi !

Thank you for your service to our country so long ago sir. As long as you are remembered you will remain in our hearts forever…..

In Remembrance:
We joked about you name "Major". Not your military rank, you were a Spec4, just like me! You were given that first name because your family members were in the Army .... going back to the Civil War!
You talked about you family, your wife and son, back in West Virginia ( on the other side of the world).
You thought it was funny that we didn't know each other from our Duster training class on Bliss or even on the Ship going over to Nam. But it was nice that we met now.
Tomorrow January 2nd, you will be going on the Duster's first mission. Yours and 3 other tracks will be going to an abandoned village, a short distance, down the road. The mission is for the 4 tracks to open fire (almost a thousand rounds in one minute of high explosive) to level it . "To show the VC just what the 5/2 could do".
I won't be going with you buddy, our Battery wasn't selected to go on the mission.
You won't make it to that village either, Major.... Your driver will swerve to miss a local on a bicycle and your track will flip over into 10 foot drainage ditch. You and the three other crew members will be trapped in the turret. As the track caught fire, all that ammunition will explode, keeping anybody from saving you and your crew! Later in a ammo recovery detail, I went into that ditch ... 10 ft down ... in knee deep water and burnt gasoline. I found your TC helmet .... then I found your wallet .... with the pictures of your West Virginia family!
I'm so sorry you had to pay such a high price for your service! You are in my memories " Till We Meet Again"

You are always in our hearts.

Dear Sp4 Major Dalton,
Thank you for your service as an Automatic
Weapons Crewman. Easter is coming up. Happy Easter. It is so important for us all to acknowledge the sacrifices of those like you who answered our nation's call. Please watch over America, it stills needs your strength, courage and faithfulness. Rest in peace with the angels.