THE WALL OF FACES

I did not know Rick Duane Deeds because he was a "New Guy" and had only been in the Platoon a short while before he was killed by enemy small arms fire in a terrible ambush in a graveyard outside the village of My Loc - which was located across the river from our Base - Camp Kistler - at the mouth of the Cua Viet River. He and 10 other Marines of the Platoon were killed that day... most were "New Guys" and were killed almost immediately by small arms fire when most of them stood up to jump off the Amtrac. The veterans and a few of the "New Guys" rolled off - keeping a low profile - and most of them survived. The Platoon was riding on top of two Amtracs and when they drove into the graveyard they entered a "U-shaped" ambush the North Vietnamese Army(NVA) 504B Regiment(The Palace Guard) and elements of the local Viet Cong(VC) 803rd Battalion had set up. The terrain was flat and sandy (no cover available) and there was standing water everywhere... so many weapons jammed when they hit the ground. It was a virtual "Shooting Gallery" and the Marines were the "Ducks".

Semper Fidelis Rick....