THE WALL OF FACES

I was a member of a platoon from C Co. 3rd Recon. The platoon was training on Okinawa in the spring of 1967. That is when I think that Sgt. Ibanez joined our platoon. I remember sharing a field tent with him at the NTA on Okinawa. After our training was completed we returned to Dong Ha and then trucked up route 9 to Khe Sanh where our platoon joined A Co. I was not on the patrol in which Sgt. Ibanez was killed, but I remember Sgt. Lumpkin and Sgt. Lucas returning and relating what had taken place. Their accounts were consistent with what has already been posted here.
Jeffrey Erwin HM2 / 3rd Recon Batt.

Thank you for your service to our country so long ago sir. It remains my fervent hope you will be returned home after the passage of so many years.

I am the Curator of the POW/MIA Bracelet Display in the Vietnam Hangar of the Palm Springs Air Museum in Palm Springs, California where we now have over two thousand bracelets and would be honored to include your bracelet in our Display. If you are an immediate family member (spouse, fiancé, sibling, son or daughter) I can order one for the Display in your name.
Dr. Dave Thompson
Palm Springs Air Museum
POW/MIA Bracelet Display Curator
Lt. Commander U.S. Navy 1964-1970
10-103 Lakeview Dr. Rancho Mirage, Ca 92270
760-328-0859 [email protected]

You will forever remain in our hearts and prayers

At 4:45 PM on June 4, 1967, a seventeen-man, two-patrol mission form A Company, 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division was inserted by truck on a razorback hilltop that ran along the south side of National Highway QL-9 northeast of Khe Sanh Combat Base (KSCB) in Quang Tri Province, RVN. The teams moved a short distance to a location where they set up a night perimeter along a small cliff overlooking a river. Rain during the night caused near total darkness, and the rushing sound of the adjacent river muffled all others sounds. During the night, a team member reported that he heard what he thought was a human groan. The sound came from where assistant team leader SGT Di R. Ibanez was located. The man crawled over to Ibanez's position but was unable to locate him. He groped around in the darkness and located Ibanez's rifle and a pouch of grenades, but not the sergeant. Thinking that Ibanez had left his position to investigate the noise, the team member did not become alarmed until he later attempted to contact him again when it was Ibanez' turn to stand watch. At first light, the Marines examined the area. They found Ibanez' gear and a Claymore mine that had been set out along the perimeter. The Claymore had been turned around to explode towards the recon team rather than away from it. They also found drag marks in the mud leading away from Ibanez' position. A more extensive search revealed two abandoned North Vietnamese Army (NVA) fighting holes recently occupied by the enemy. The two areas had flattened grass and were extremely well camouflaged. Members of the patrol surmised that arriving late in the darkness, they may have encamped in the midst of an NVA position. Company A, 1st Battalion, 26th Marines arrived by truck to assist in searching for Ibanez. A cracked dental plate with blood stains on it along with some blood-stained leaves were found. The material was sent to Da Nang for examination and tests confirmed the dental plate belonged to Ibanez and the blood stains matched his blood type. When the search was terminated, Ibanez was listed as Missing in Action. He was promoted to Gunnery Sergeant during the time he was missing. In March 1978, the Department of Defense officially declared him dead. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org and information provided by Rob Pearce (March 2014) at thewall-usa.com]