THE WALL OF FACES

On February 11, 1966, the 1st Infantry Division launched Operation Rolling Stone, a security mission for the 1st Engineer Battalion as it built an all-weather road linking National Highway QL-13 with Route 16 north of Saigon in Binh Duong Province, RVN. Anticipating a violent response by insurgents, the job was given to the 1st Brigade. At first, all went smoothly, the only adversary the dry season's oppressive heat. Nearly two weeks into the operation, the Viet Cong (VC) struck, massing nearly eighteen hundred soldiers from the VC’s 9th Division. The command post for the operation was established outside of Tan Binh, a hamlet just north of the new roadway, three miles west of Route 16. Early on the morning of February 24, 1966, American soldiers at listening posts outside the perimeter detected small groups of VC moving about. One outpost opened fire, killing two enemy soldiers. The action alerted those inside the camp. The VC, however, receded into the night, and for the next forty-five minutes the Americans waited nervously in position. Then, at 1:45 AM, a barrage of mortar and small arms fire shattered the stillness. Over the next hour, the firing gradually intensified until, at 3:00 AM, the enemy shifted fires, now augmented by recoilless rifles, to the northwest side of the perimeter. Fearing a ground assault, the VC held back, intimidated by the American artillery batteries which lowered their tubes and fired directly into enemy positions. As daybreak neared, the VC seemed confused, unwilling either to attack or to withdraw. At 5:30 AM they made their move. But there was no mass assault, only a series of disjointed attacks, none of which contained more than forty soldiers. The Americans repelled them without difficulty, and by 6:45 AM, the insurgents began to withdraw. The battle at Tan Binh cost eleven U.S. dead and seventy-four wounded. The lost personnel included: (1/5 Artillery) PFC George A. Morgan, SGT Willie Pippins Sr., and SSG Cecil Y. Ware; (B/1/28) SP4 James R. Foley, SP4 Gentry Graham, PVT Charles C. Whitfield, and PFC Tommie L. Williams; (B/1-4 Cav) PFC Jimmie L. Foster, SP5 Robert K. Lowe, SP4 Joe C. Lile II, and PFC Thomas E. Hartung; and (A Co, 1 Eng Bn) PFC Donald C. Piper. The cost to the VC was much higher: at least 142 insurgents died in the assault, and blood trails indicated that the toll was probably far higher. [Taken from virtualwall.org and “Stemming the Tide” by John M. Carland]

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.

Specialist Four James Richard Foley, Served with Company B, 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, United States Army Vietnam.

Dear Sp4 James Foley,
Thank you for your service as a Light Wheel Vehicle Mechanic. It is now fall, and as the seasons pass, it is important to remember you all. It has been too long, and it's about time 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.

We need your help! Since 1986, the students of Lake Central High School in Northwest Indiana have been researching men and women from the State of Indiana who gave their lives in the Vietnam War. We are the researchers for the World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War Memorials located in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. Of the1621 Vietnam casualties, we have located 1100+ families as of the date of this entry. We are now researching the men and women from the State of Illinois who gave their lives in the Vietnam War. If you have any information or photos that may help please contact us at the following: [email protected]