THE WALL OF FACES

Never forget.

HOOAH

May those who served never be forgotten. Rest in peace CAPT. Hall, I salute your brave soul. My heart goes out to you and your family.

On June 9, 1965, a Viet Cong force estimated at 1500-2000 strong attacked the Dong Xoai Special Forces Camp, located approximately 60 miles north of Saigon in Phuoc Long Province, RVN. The camp was occupied by eleven men of a U.S Army Special Forces team, a Vietnamese force of approximately 400 men, and nine U.S. Navy Seabees. The attack occurred shortly before midnight with mortar and 57mm recoilless-rifle fire. Some of the first mortar rounds struck the communications building, medical aid station, and the quarters where the Americans were sleeping, inflicting casualties in the first moments of the attack. Friendly aircraft arrived to drop flares followed by armed helicopters which bombed and strafed the areas north and west of the camp. The Viet Cong pressed the assault, overrunning the west berm of the north area of the camp. The defenders were scattered and suffered many casualties. American and Vietnamese aircraft arrived at daybreak, the defenders directing highly effective air strikes against the attacking enemy. Shortly after noon, rescue helicopters came in through the Viet Cong fire and successfully evacuated thirteen American survivors. The Viet Cong withdrew on the morning of June 11th, and the remaining Americans survivors were lifted out by rescue helicopters. Twenty Americans died in the battle, including three Special Forces soldiers: SSG Donald C. Dedmon, SGT Charles O. Jenkins Jr., and SFC Bobby Russell; and two Seabees: SWF2 William C. Hoover and CMA3 Marvin G. Shields. Of the surviving 15 Americans, 14 were wounded. Additionally, about 43 CIDG Montagnards and South Vietnamese troops were killed. Outside of the camp, American deaths included eight helicopter crewmen, four from the 118th Aviation Company: pilot CPT Walter L. Hall, co-pilot Donald R. Saegaert, crew chief SSG Joseph J. Compa Jr., and gunner SGT Craig L. Hagen; and four from the 82nd Aviation Battalion: pilot CWO Raymond C. Galbraith, co-pilot WO Zoltan A. Kovacs, crew chief William R. Batchelder, and gunner PFC Walter R. Gray. Five U.S. Army advisers were also killed: SP4 Ronald E. Blake, SSG Robert L. Curlee Jr., LTC Bruce G. Johnson, CPT Edward E. Krukowski, and SFC Fred M. Owens, three from helicopter crashes and two killed while attached to South Vietnamese units. More than 400 South Vietnamese soldiers died in fights in the outskirts of the camp. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org, historynet.com, and the publication The Military Engineer (November-December 1965 issue)]

Dear Captain Walter Hall,
Thank you for your service as a Rotary Wing Aviation Unit Commander - Helicopter Pilot. You are still MIA. Please come home. The war was years ago, but we all need 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.

Dad I have gotten to know you through the men you served with, they each have made sure I know my dad. I can only hope I have grown to be the man you would have wanted me to become. We shall not res til you and crew are home.