THE WALL OF FACES

Thank you Corporal Humphrey.

Robert is buried in Kosse Cem,Limestone Co,TX. His stone says Co C,198th Lt INF.

Slip off that pack. Set it down by the crooked trail. Drop that steel pot alongside. Shed those magazine-laden bandoliers away from your sweat-soaked shirt. Lay that silent weapon down and step on over to the other side. Feel the soothing cool breeze right down to your soul ... and rest in peace, brother.

Robert Loy Humphrey was a member of Charlie Company, First Battalion, 46th Infantry, 198th Light Infantry Brigade, Americal Division. He is honored here by the veterans of 1/46th.

The 1/46 came in-country by ship on October 4, 1967 as part of the 198th Light Infantry Brigade. The 198th became part of the Americal Division. After one month of orientation at Duc Pho, the battalion was deployed north of Chu Lai and patrolled from Hill 54, Hill 69 and LZ Baldy in Quang Tin Province. In March of 1969, the battalion moved to LZ Professional, in the mountains southwest of Tien Phuoc, Quang Tin Province, to relieve a battered 1/52nd Infantry of the 198th. In July of 1969, the battalion, which had been operating under operational control of the 196th LIB of the Americal, became a permanent member of that brigade. The battalion operated from LZ Professional until August of 1970. In February of 1970, the battalion established a temporary firebase at LZ Mary Ann, at a remote mountain site near Hau Duc, Quang Tin Province. The battalion returned to Mary Ann in the summer of 1970 and operated from there and LZ Young, between Tien Phuoc and Tam Ky, during 1970 and 1971. The battalion left Mary Ann in April of 1971 when the Americal Division was deactivated and the 196th Brigade reverted to its status as an independent brigade and deployed at Danang, to provide security for the port. The 1/46th left Vietnam in June, 1972. 232 names on this wall, approximately half the battalion's actual field strength at any given time in Vietnam, were members of 1/46th, or died while deployed with us.

Robert Humprey was the first G.I. I saw killed in Vietnam. On my first trip out, we were patrolling east of L.Z. Professional. Our F.O. Lt. Tomek, had be killed earlier that day by a B.A.R. We walked back to the same night lauger we had spent the last night in. As we were starting to drop our packs in the perimeter, we heared a loud explosion. There, on the trail all of us had walked on to get into the night lauger was Robert Humphrey, a gapping wound in the side of his chest. I was one of the medics. Our head medic, my mentor at the time, did most of the treatment. He was knocked unconscious by the blast. I don't think he suffered. We never figured exactly what it was. Didn't find any obvious evidence of a booby trap. But it was dark soon, after. In fact, we had to light a trip flare to bring in the dustoff that took away Robert's body and a man who took a facial wound in the blast. I can still picture him there on the trail, looking white as a marble statue, his glasses knocked askew on his forehead.