THE WALL OF FACES

Your sacrifice is not forgotten.

HOOAH

Thank you for your service to our country so long ago sir. We should be forever thankful for the sacrifices of you and so many others to ensure the freedoms we so often take for granted.

We can never truly repay the great debt we owe our fallen heroes. May those who served never be forgotten. Rest in peace PFC. Gilmer, I salute your brave soul. My heart goes out to you and your family.

Dear PFC Charlie Gilmer,
Thank you for your service as an Infantryman. Merry Christmas. 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.

Last year, on Memorial Day weekend, I made a promise to myself that I would find out about one of the men from Montgomery County who were killed while in the service of our Country. The names of these men are etched in stone on the veterans memorial in downtown Christiansburg. I picked Charles M. Gilmer.
I knew nothing about him, other than his name was listed under those who had died because we, as a nation, sent him to go fight and die for us in Vietnam. Below is information I obtained from the Montgomery County Museum and resources online.
Charles was from Christiansburg and and had not reached his twentieth birthday when he was killed in Vietnam during the Battle Van Tuong 1. The Battle is so named because Van Tuong 1 was one of 5 hamlets that formed the Village of Van Tuong in the province of QUANG NGAI. Charles was born on October, 23 1947 and would be killed in a bunker in southeast Asia on May 23, 1967. In May of 1968, his mother would receive a medal from the South Vietnamese government, Gallantry Cross with Palm, on his behalf during a Memorial Day ceremony held by the Christiansburg American Legion.
According to the News Messenger, Charlie was a rifleman with the 2nd Platoon, Company C, 4th Battalion of the 131 infantry. (I think the paper go it wrong, he was in the 31 and not the 131) He and his unit fought off several waves of attacks during the early morning hours of May 23, 1967. Charlie held his ground until being mortally wounded.
Historynet.com states that Charlie's unit had been sent to Van Tuong to help support a village chief who was loyal to our South Vietnamese allies. Charlie's unit had arrived at the hamlet almost a week before and had set up defenses, including bunkers around Van Tuong 1. The first Viet Cong attack came at around 3 A.M. Charlie was holding his ground with a fellow soldier in bunker number one on the north side of the defenses. However, the VC overwhelmed the bunker defenses and Charlie died with his fellow soldier, Pfc John T. Trivette, in their bunker. In those early morning hours five men from the 2nd Platoon would be killed and 15 others wounded before the battle ended. A rifle platoon in the United States Army, are normally composed of 42 soldiers. Meaning Charlie's unit sustained almost 50% casualties.
He was just a kid, younger than my oldest and older than my youngest.
You can find Charlie's name on Panel 20 E, Row 90 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and on the memorial in downtown Christiansburg.
Thank you Charlie and your family for the sacrifice given for me, my family and our Country.