THE WALL OF FACES

I arrived in Vietnam just days after his death in Quang Tri Province

Thank you for your service to our country so long ago sir. As long as you are remembered you will always be with us.

Operation Kingfisher was a U.S. Marine Corps operation carried out near Con Thien, Quang Tri Province, RVN, lasting from July 16 to October 31, 1967. The objective of Kingfisher was to block entry of North Vietnamese Army (NVA) forces into the eastern portion of the province. Initially, only minor contact was made with the NVA. On July 28th, 2/9 Marines, supported by a platoon of tanks and several other tracked vehicles, moved north on Provincial Route 606 to make a spoiling attack into the Demilitarized Zone. The unit made no contact with the NVA and set up a night defensive position near the Ben Hai River. The following morning, as the unit was returning along the same route, a command detonated mine exploded, wounding five Marines. Further down the convoy, a second mine was detonated. The NVA then opened fire with small arms and mortar fire and attacked the armored vehicles with rocket-propelled grenades. The enemy hugged the U.S. column, preventing the use of air support and causing the column to break up into several separate firefights. The convoy then retreated; only through the use of napalm support were the Marines saved from a complete rout. The isolated companies set up night defensive positions and were relieved by 3/4 Marines on the morning of July 30th. U.S. casualties were 33 dead and 251 wounded. The lost personnel included CPL Dewey L. Beatty, LCPL Alan C. Erickson, PFC Eric M. Dewey, SGT James M. Lynch, PFC Charles W. Hollwedel, PFC Richard H. Taylor, PFC Jerry G. Wright, PFC Dennis E. Brown, LCPL Michael F. Gaffney, 2LT Robert A. Kisch, CPL Richard L. La Flair, LCPL Ronald L. McJunkin, LCPL Carl J. Olson, PVT Ricky W. Richardson, LCPL Allen J. White, LCPL Robert W. Wilfong, PFC John M. Dudley, CPL Robert L. Ellison, LCPL Walter C. Gibson, PFC Eddie L. Roberts, PFC William F. Seveney, CPL Lee R. Taylor, PFC Steven H. Bennefeld (body not recovered), LCPL Phillip Jacob, LCPL Richard H. Johnson, LCPL Larry V. Kinard, LCPL Anthony M. Leach, CPL Alfred J. Gaspar, LCPL James G. McGovern, LCPL James P. Proctor (died of wounds 08/01/1967), LCPL Henry W. Bernard, LCPL Stanley K. Patrick, and GYSGT David S. Prentice. Thirty-two NVA dead were counted and a further 175 were believed killed. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org and “U.S. Marines in Vietnam: Fighting the North Vietnamese 1967” by Telfer, Rogers, and Fleming; Image: Poncho-wrapped bodies of Marines wait to be put aboard a tank for evacuation]

Private First Class Eric Melvin Dewey, Served with Company A, 3rd Tank Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, Third Marine Amphibious Force.

We can never truly repay the great debt we owe our fallen heroes. May those who served never be forgotten. I watched a fellow tanker Greg Kelly "Vietnam Tankers" on YouTube; Rest in peace PFC. Dewey, I salute your brave soul. My heart goes out to you and your family. Semper Fidelis!