THE WALL OF FACES

We can never truly repay the debt we owe our fallen heroes. Without people like you our great nation would not exist. Rest in peace PFC. Abruzzesa, I salute your brave soul. From a Jamaica Queens Vet.

I knew Mike in basic training. We became fast friends for those 8 confusing and difficult weeks, then parted forever. The sergeants called him "Alphabet" because of the ABZs in his name. I found out today, Memorial Day 2020, that he fell the same month that I arrived in Vietnam, Sept. 68. I had no idea. I often wonder about memorable people who passed the my life. Sorry to learn yours was cut short. I remember you well.

Thank you for serving your country. I know a lot of soldiers in Vietnam wanted to return to school after their time in Vietnam was up. It is a shame that some of you never got to live out your dreams. But duty called.

Fire Support Base Lance was a 4th Infantry forward artillery base providing fire support to units operating in Quang Duc Province, RVN. The base was located two miles southwest of Duc Lap village. On September 7, 1968, Lance received a North Vietnamese Army sapper attack from an estimated force of 20-30 men. The attackers were dressed in shorts, short sleeves, and wore no shoes and hats. The enemy utilized small arms, B-40 rockets, and numerous satchel charges to breach the perimeter of Lance. A number of the NVA entered the base and attacked the Fire Direction Control (FDC) center of A Battery, 4th Battalion, 42nd Artillery and the Command Post of A Company, 4th Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry. The defenders fought back with unit weapons and received support from nearby fire bases and U.S. Air Force Douglas AC-47 “Spooky” fixed-wing gunships. The enemy broke contact and withdrew at 5:20 AM. U.S. losses were nine killed and thirty wounded. The FDC was destroyed and both the Commanding Officer of A/4-503rd and A/4-42 were killed. The lost Americans included (from A/4-42 Artillery) CPT George D. Taylor, SGT John W. Johnson, and PFC Michael J. Abruzzesa; (from A/503rd Infantry) CPT David C. Brown, SSGT Cecil V. Evans, 2LT Robert B. Gilray, SSG Edgar J. Grismer, SFC David R. Karr, and CPL Steven A. Winters. Eleven NVA were reportedly killed. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org]

Michael im just sitting here having a drink in your honor, and to all my fallen brothers and sisters the 1%, times are hard but not as hard as when you were over there in the shit, i to was in the shit as we called it, but you know that because you watched over me, i know this because i'm home and i felt your presence while on patrol, i feel that you guided me to my destination, i have two wonderful children that you would love, Haley Louise and Zachary Michael, yes he was named in honor of you, he now is following in the Abruzzese/a's legacy of the military, well just wanted to say hello its been a while.