THE WALL OF FACES

I sat with your Father G. many times as his Pastor in L’Anse. Your memory will live on in those hearts of your loved ones. Your Dad was a strong person of faith.

Private First Class Alan Douglas Fredrickson, Served with Battery B, 29th Artillery Regiment, 52nd Artillery Group, First Field Force, United States Army Vietnam.

Camp Radcliff was a U.S. Army base in the An Khe District of Binh Dinh Province, RVN. It was established in late August 1965 as the base camp for the 1st Cavalry Division. The camp was located on National Highway QL-19, thirty-seven miles northwest of Qui Nhon on the coast and thirty-seven miles southeast of Pleiku in the Central Highlands. On April 9, 1967, an unidentified enemy force attacked the Camp Radcliff defense complex with mortars and ground elements. The eight-minute mortar attack began at 12:50 AM when at least eighty-three rounds of 82mm mortars landed on the southeast corner of the helicopter parking area known as the Golf Course. There were no personnel casualties from the mortars and only light damage inflicted on parked aircraft in the impact area. The ground attack was launched at about 1:00 AM against forces defending Landing Zone Charles, part of the defense complex. An estimated 40-60 enemy penetrated the perimeter in three places before small arms fire from the defenders and intense fire from tube artillery and aerial rocket artillery (ARA) drove the enemy from the position after approximately forty minutes. Complete contact with the enemy was broken at 1:55 AM. Nine Americans were killed in the fighting and fifteen were wounded. The lost personnel included (from B Company, 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry) PFC Rodney C. Edwards, PFC Cario Fuller, PFC Glenn J. Hlavacek, PFC James F. Madden, PFC William C. Madison, SGT Dale E. Milam, PFC Charles A. Stoken, PFC Ronald M. Thomas II, and CPT Joseph A. Tomko (died of wounds 06/01/1967); and (from B Battery, 29th Artillery [Searchlight Battery]) PFC Alan D. Fredrickson. Several posthumous promotions were processed following this action with Fuller, Hlavacek, Madden, and Stoken promoted to Corporal. A later assessment of the mortar barrage determined a total of fifteen aircraft had been damaged. Enemy losses were counted at fifteen dead (by body count) and a variety of weapons captured. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org and “Operational Reports - Lessons Learned, Headquarters, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), October 1967” at ttu.edu]

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

May those who served never be forgotten. Rest in peace PFC. Fredrickson, I salute your brave soul. My heart goes out to you and your family.