THE WALL OF FACES

As part of the Gridley High School Posting Project I would like thank you for the sacrfice you made for your country during its time of need. Your country is greatfull for your heroic deeds and you will not be forgotten.

I have not forgotten you. I chair the Adoption Committee for The National League of Families of Prisoners of War and Missing in Action in Southeast Asia. We will always remember the 1,889 Americans still unaccounted for in Southeast Asia and the thousands of others that lost their lives. We will not stop our efforts until all of you are home where you belong.

We need to reach the next generation so that they will carry on when our generation is no longer able. To do so, we are attempting to locate photographs of all the missing. If you are reading this remembrance and have a photo and/or memory of this missing American that you would like to share for our project, please contact me at:

Candace Lokey
PO Box 206
Freeport, PA 16229
[email protected]

If you are not familiar with our organization, please visit our web site at :

www.pow-miafamilies.org

MASTER SERGEANT
DONALD PETER GERVAIS
AGE 24

SERGEANT FIRST CLASS
RICHARD D. MARTIN
AGE 20

CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER
WARREN TAYLOR WHITMIRE JR.
AGE 22


TROOP ' B '
1ST SQUADRON
9TH CAVALRY
1ST CAVALRY DIVISION


ON MAY 1, 1968

THESE ARMY SERVICEMEN COMPRISED THE CREW OF

A UH6A HELICOPTER ON A VISUAL RECONNAISSANCE

MISSION OVER THE A SHAU VALLEY IN SOUTH VIETNAM.

AT 1800 HRS ANOTHER AIRCREW SAW THEM CRASH

INTO A RAVINE AND IT APPEARED TO THE CREW

OF THE OTHER AIRCRAFT THAT THE HELICOPTER

HAD COLLIDED WITH A DEAD TREE.

THIS SECOND HELCOPTER RECEIVED GUNFIRE

AS IT FLEW IN CLOSER TO VIEW THE SITE.

VISUAL RECONNAISSANCE OF THE SITE WAS QUITE

DIFFICULT DUE TO THE ENEMY FIRE AND IT WAS

DETERMINED THAT SEARCH AND RESCUE CREWS

WOULD NOT BE INSERTED BECAUSE OF THE PRESENCE

OF ENEMY TROOPS AND THE RUGGED TERRAIN.

AN INFANTRY PLATOON THAT WAS ON THE GROUND

HAD ENCOUNTERED THESE ENEMY TROOPS AND HAD

OBSERVED THE HELICOPTER CRASH THROUGH

BINOCULARS FROM ABOUT 300 METERS AWAY.

THE PLATOON LEADER TRIED TO MOVE CLOSER TO

THE CRASH SITE BUT ENCOUNTERED ENEMY ACTIVITY

AND THEY WERE FORCED TO WITHDRAW.

HEAVY ENEMY ACTIVITY CONTINUED IN THE AREA

MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO REACH THE SITE AGAIN

AND THEREFORE THESE CREWMEN WERE DECLARED AS

MISSING IN ACTION / BODIES NOT RECOVERED.



YOU ARE NOT FORGOTTEN
NOR SHALL YOU EVER BE