THE WALL OF FACES

The way I remember Steve is how much he loved to dance. He was so full of life, always a smile on his face, and one of the kindest people I knew. We danced at many a Victory Dance at Garland High School. We were blessed to have known him. ❤️

On May 16, 1971, a New York Times article described heroin use by American troops in Vietnam had reached epidemic proportions. The piece reported that 10 to 15 percent of lower-ranking enlisted men were heroin users, and military officials working in drug‐suppression estimated that as much as a quarter of all enlisted personnel, more than 60,000 men, were hooked. They added that some field surveys reported units with more than 50 percent of the men on heroin. In Vietnam, the drug was plentiful, cheap, and 95 percent pure. Its effects could casually be achieved through smoking or snorting, as compared to the U.S., where the drug was impure, only about five percent heroin, and had to be main-lined or injected into the bloodstream to achieve a comparable high. The habit, which cost $100 a day to maintain in the U.S., cost less than $5 a day in Vietnam. SP4 Stephan A. Davis was a mechanic serving with Service Battery, 2nd Battalion, 94th Artillery, 108th Artillery Group, XXIV Corps, U.S. Army Republic of Vietnam. At 9:45 AM on January 9, 1972, Davis was found lifeless in bed at his unit’s billets at Red Beach Complex in Quang Nam Province, RVN. He was transported to a military hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. A subsequent casualty report attributed his death to pulmonary congestion and edema, common adverse events following a heroin overdose. Davis was 21 years old. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org and “G.I. Heroin Addiction Epidemic in Vietnam.” New York Times (New York, NY), May 16, 1971]

Image courtesy of Redbird Research LLC, Saint Charles, MO.

Thank you for your service to our country so long ago sir. The remembrance from your cousin Judy is poignant. As long as you are remembered you will always be with us….

On the remembrance of your 70th birthday, your sacrifice is not forgotten.

HOOAH