THE WALL OF FACES

You would have been 77 years old but you never got the chance to live your life to the fullest. Thank you for your service, You will never been forgotten and RIP.

PFC Vincent F. Giammarino was an infantryman serving with 2nd Platoon, C Company, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division. At 1:00 PM on June 27, 1968, 2nd Platoon C/1-22 was sent on a patrol near Hill 1199, 22 kilometers (13.2 miles) southeast of Suoi Doi Air Field in Pleiku Province, RVN, to conduct a bomb damage assessment of an area hit by artillery and air strikes the day before. Prior to moving out, Giammarino indicated to his squad leader he did not want to go on the mission. The platoon leader, a lieutenant, was informed, and spoke with Giammarino, convincing him to move out with his element. During the mission, the platoon located some craters, set up a patrol base with a perimeter, and had six men search for enemy bodies. No bodies were found; however, the C Company commanding officer (CO) wanted them to continue searching in a different direction. Down a ravine, two more small craters were located. As the party started climbing out of the ravine, Giammarino could not be accounted for. The CO was informed at 2:30 PM and instructed the men to search for the missing trooper. At about 4:00 PM, the platoon returned to the patrol base without finding Giammarino. An hour later, the CO ordered the platoon back up to Hill 1199. While returning, they found a trail with tracks which stopped 300 yards outside the perimeter. Back at the base, the perimeter was swept but there was no trace of Giammarino. On June 29th, an aircraft with a loudspeaker system overflew the area. Again, the search efforts were unsuccessful. Giammarino was listed as Missing in Action until October 6, 1978, when his status was changed to Dead, Body Not Recovered. Giammarino was promoted to Sergeant First Class during the time he was missing. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org]

Around 1989 while I was in the Navy, someone I knew gave me Vincent's MIA bracelet. I didn't know Vincent but was intrigued with the bracelet. We are both from NY and have Italian names. I also had an uncle who was killed in Vietnam. I still have the bracelet and periodically check on updates of his status. It's been an honor having the bracelet.

Mark

Thank you for your service to our country so long ago sir. It remains my fervent hope you will be returned home after the passage of so many years.

Never forget.

HOOAH