THE WALL OF FACES

Childhood friend that I remember to this day Ronnie had Anderson Street summertime with his grandmother

Some may think you are forgotten
Though on earth you are no more
But in our memory you are with us
As you always were before….

Great friends

Dear Sgt Ronald Hodge, Thank you for your service as an Infantryman. Today is the first day of summer! Please watch over the USA, it still needs your strength. Rest in peace with the angels.

On April 15, 1970, units of Americal Division were conducting search and clear, reconnaissance in force, and pacification operations in their area of operations in Quang Ngai Province, RVN. On Hill 238, three miles south of Duc Pho, elements of C Company/4-21 and C Company/4-3 were securing a landing zone in order to act as a blocking force to engage North Vietnamese Army troops which were being driven their way by Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) forces. While they were organizing their position in 110-degree heat, a booby-trapped 105mm shell was detonated causing the sympathetic detonation of two 81mm mortar rounds and other miscellaneous munitions. The mortar rounds were stored in a pit and caused further secondary explosions of 81mm mortar rounds and Claymore mines that the men were carrying in their packs. Eight Americans were killed by the blast and another nineteen were wounded, thirteen of which required medical evacuation. The medivacs carried the injured to Duc Pho, then later transferred them to Chu Lai after triage. Seven of the patients removed from the hill later expired, bringing the total killed to fifteen. The lost Americans included from C/4-21: SSG Allen M. Garrett, PFC Dennis E. Jackowski, SP4 James W. Lindemann, SGT Robert J. Mussin, SP4 Gene S. Swager, PFC Rick A. Wilcox, and SP4 Perry L. Woolsey; from Headquarters Company/4-3: PFC Michael C. Gomes; and from C/4-3: PFC Michael W. Haynes, SGT Ronald E. Hodge, SP4 Charles L. Merrill Jr., PFC Jose L. Rivas, and PFC Clarence W. Templeton; from Headquarters Company/4-3: PFC Randall R. Simmons; and from Brigade Headquarters Company, 11th Brigade: 1LT Sandro Barone. Haynes, Rivas, Templeton, and Simmons were posthumously promoted to Corporal. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org and Americal Division Tactical Operations Center (DTOC) logs for April 15-16, 1970; also from information provided by Harold Titus (February 2019)]