THE WALL OF FACES

Operation Hickory (May 18-28, 1967) was a search and destroy operation conducted by the 3rd Marine Division in the area around Con Thien known as “Leatherneck Square” in Quang Tri Province, RVN. Operation Hickory was notable as the first authorized incursion into the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). By the time Hickory concluded, the Marines had suffered 142 killed and 896 wounded, and claimed 362 North Vietnamese Army (NVA) regulars killed. All participating forces then joined Operation Prairie IV with continued sweeps of Leatherneck Square and the area southwest of Con Thien. On May 28th, the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines made heavy contact with the NVA in bunkers on Hill 174, approximately four miles from Con Thien. Two Companies, M and L, attacked the enemy fortifications late in the afternoon. While moving up the north finger of Hill 117, Company L received a heavy volume of small arms, automatic weapons, 57mm recoilless rifle, and 82mm mortar fire. The Marines fought back with small arms, automatic weapons, M79, and M72 LAW light anti-tank weapon, and 3.5-inch rocket fire. Two Company L personnel were killed in the fighting; another two died an hour later when their overnight position was hit by nine rounds of 120mm rocket fire. The lost Marines included PFC Walter L. Babbitt Jr., SGT Donald L. Crane, PFC Ted L. Edwards, and PFC Michael D. Withrow. Twenty-five others were wounded. Six NVA were confirmed dead and one 57mm recoilless rifle was destroyed. Artillery was placed on the Hill 117 throughout the night, and the next day Companies M and I attacked. They suffered five killed and thirty-three wounded without driving the NVA from the crest of the hill. The lost M-3/4 Marines included PFC Dennis R. Glenn, LCPL Frank E. Hardy, CPL Willard S. Prescott, and PFC Armand R. Thouvenell; also killed was Navy corpsman HM3 Charles H. Crawford. Crawford was posthumously presented the Navy Cross for heroism. Companies M and I attacked unsuccessfully again on May 30th, suffering one killed from I-3/4, LCPL Noel J. Feliciano, with 45 wounded. The NVA abandoned the hill during the night of May 30th-31th. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org and “U.S. Marines in Vietnam: Fighting the North Vietnamese 1967” by Telfer, Rogers, and Fleming]

Go Falcons

-RVS School
Boonton Twp, NJ

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

we remember because it allowed our freedom .... to keep others from harms way. We remember because his giving was our gain.
BG class of '69 and our friend Ruth Ann (sister)

Private First Class Walter Lee Babbitt Jr., Served with Company L, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, Third Marine Amphibious Force.