THE WALL OF FACES

Chief Petty Officer Howard William Bannister, Served aboard Monitor 112-1, River Assault Division 112 (RIVDIV-112), River Assault Squadron 11 (RIVRON-11), Task Force 117 (TF-117), United States Naval Forces Vietnam (USNAVFORV). Montani Semper Liberi !

Thank you for your service to our country so long ago sir. Your Silver Star citation attests to your courage and devotion to your fellow soldiers. May you rest in eternal peace.

I served with you on that fateful day. I was on CCB-112-1 firing my 40 MM at a hootch where three VC had run into. It was moments after this when word came that you had been KIA. They managed to capture the two VC that fired the B-40 rocket that took your life and transferred them to my boat to wait for further transfer by Helo for interrogation. There was serious talk by us of " taking care of business " right there and then. I think of you all of time and wish it could have been me instead. I have never been able to let go of your death. I had many friends on your boat and knew every man that was wounded. Your death angered all of us. Within a week all of painted, in huge letters " SAT CONG " on all our our gun turrets. The words mean " death to the Viet Cong ". We wanted to entice them into a fight so we could avenge your loss of life. In the long run we did exactly that. I'm signing off now Chief. I will never forget you and your leadership.

Happy angel birthday. My youngest is 21 on this. Day.

On July 11, 1967, the Mobile Riverine Force, a joint U.S. Army and U.S. Navy force seeking to prosecute contact with the Viet Cong, commenced operations in the Can Giouc district of Long An Province, RVN. U.S. Army elements of the 3rd and 4th Battalions, 47th Infantry, were landed along the Vang, Nui, and Chim Duoi creeks and to the west, two ARVN battalions were landed along the Rach Cac River. Late that afternoon, a B-40 rocket struck the Navy monitor M-112-1, hitting the conning station and killing instantly the boat captain, BMC Howard W. Bannister; six other persons, including the embarked river division commander, were wounded. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org and U.S. Naval Forces, Vietnam Monthly Historical Summary, July 1967]