THE WALL OF FACES

Camp Evans is a former U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps base located northwest of Hue in Thua Thien Province, RVN. The camp was west of National Highway QL-1, approximately fourteen miles from Hue. In the summer of 1967, the 4th Marines were based at Evans. Operation Choctaw was launched in June, targeting Viet Cong units operating along the coast twenty-four miles southeast of the Demilitarized Zone in the “Street Without Joy” region. The Marines conducted eleven days of tedious sweeps west of QL-1 along the Thac Ma River, netting fifteen prisoners and nine enemy killed. On June 23rd, the Marines returned from the field to Camp Evans. The following day, at 1:50 PM, 81mm mortar rounds were being unloaded from a M274 “Mule” ½-ton 4×4 utility platform truck into a mortar pit in the 4th Marines Command Post area when one accidently exploded. The blast killed four Marines from Headquarters & Service Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, and injured nine others. The lost personnel included LCPL Elwood Baker, PFC Andrew J. Davis Jr. (died of wounds 06/24/1967), PFC Harry Jones, and LCPL Aaron B. Spalding (died of wounds 06/26/1967). [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org, wikipedia.org, and “U.S. Marines in Vietnam: Fighting the North Vietnamese, 1967” by Gary L. Telfer, Lane Rogers, and V. Keith Fleming; also, information provided by Bill Craig (November 2021)]

Thank you for your service to or country so long ago sir. The remembrance from Sue Nesmith is especially poignant. As long as you are remembered you will remain in our hearts forever....

Elwood, You are remembered.

Elwood, You are remembered and honored.

Lance Corporal Elwood Baker, Served with the Headquarters and Service Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, Third Marine Amphibious Force.