THE WALL OF FACES

Thank you for your service to our country so long ago sir. May you rest in eternal peace.

DEAR TECH SERGEANT BALDONADO,
THANKS FOR YOUR SERVICE WITH THE AIR FORCE, TODAY IS ALL SOULS' DAYS, AND VETERANS' DAY IS APPROACHING, MAY THE SAINTS AND ANGELS GUIDE YOU. REST IN PEACE.

Dear TSGT Secundino Baldonado, sir

As an American, I would like to thank you for your service and for your sacrifice made on behalf of our wonderful country. The youth of today could gain much by learning of heroes such as yourself, men and women whose courage and heart can never be questioned.

May God allow you to read this, and may He allow me to someday shake your hand when I get to Heaven to personally thank you. May he also allow my father to find you and shake your hand now to say thank you; for America, and for those who love you.

With respect, Sir

Curt Carter

Thank you TSGT Secundino Baldonado for giving the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom we all enjoy. Thank you for the pleasure of knowing your son Randy Baldonado. He is one awesome man! You (looking down from Heaven) are surely proud of him.

On November 1, 1964, Viet Cong squads shelled the airfield at Bien Hoa with mortars. The attack was effective as 27 aircraft were hit, and four U.S. and two Vietnamese were killed. Further Viet Cong mortar attacks led General William Westmoreland on February 19, 1965 to release B-57Bs for combat operations, including raids into North Vietnam. As the B-57 mission continued to increase it became an around-the-clock commitment. This forced the weapons storage facility at Bien Hoa to deliver ordnance well ahead of the frag orders. This resulted in bombs being stored underneath the wings of the B-57s sitting on the tarmac. The ordnance consisted of 250, 500 and 750-pound general purpose bombs, many armed with time-delay. There were also 750 lb. of napalm stored on the ramp. The pre-positioning of this ordnance was the basis for one of the "worst disasters in Air Force history". On May 16, 1965, while waiting to takeoff on a mission, a B-57B exploded on the ground. The B-57 was started with a black powder cartridge that fired when the pilot hit the starter switch, causing a small starter turbine to spin. These turbines sometimes spun loose and flew out of the starter housing. On this day, a loose turbine hit the fuse of an armed 500 lb. bomb, setting off a whole chain of secondary explosions. Five 50,000 gallon bladders of JP-4 jet fuel went up in smoke. When the explosions finally ceased, ten B-57s, one Navy F-8 Crusader and fifteen A-1Es were destroyed plus several ground support units. Twenty-seven men killed, including the following: SSGT Jesse R. Acosta, SSGT Jose R. Aragon, TSGT Secundino Baldonado, MAJ Robert G. Bell, SSGT Brian D. Brown, TSGT Claude M. Bunch, SSGT James M. Cale, SSGT Robert L. Clark, SSGT Edgar S. Donaghy, A1C Terence D. Engel, TSGT Aaron G. Fidiam, CAPT Charles N. Fox, CAPT Vernon L. Haynes, SMS William D. Hicks, CAPT Arthur C. Jepson Jr. CAPT Andrew M. Kea, CAPT Ernest McFeron, TSGT Charles W. Rachal, A1C Clifford H. "Hal" Raulerson Jr. TSGT Donald J. Seaman, CAPT Billy E. Shannon, TSGT Gerald A. Snyder, MAJ James E. Underwood, 1LT Lee C. Wagner Jr., and A1C Hayden E. Weaver. Over 100 were wounded. The most severely wounded were evacuated to Clark AB. After the explosions, a great number of generals and their staffs came to Bien Hoa to see for themselves what had happened. General Westmoreland along with retired General Maxwell D. Taylor, Ambassador to Vietnam, came to see the extent of damage so they could brief their superiors. General Westmoreland said that Bien Hoa looked worse than Hickam Field after the Pearl Harbor Attack. The Bien Hoa Air Base Conflagration/Fire Accident Investigation Board concluded the accidental explosion of a bomb on a parked B-57 at Bien Hoa triggered a series of blasts. The aircraft and the ammunition were stored too close together which allowed the fires and explosions to propagate. The accident investigation board recommended improvements. In the face of such experience, engineers initiated a major program to construct revetments and aircraft shelters to protect the valuable assets. [Taken from wikipedia.com]