THE WALL OF FACES

The prototypical soldier. A good man who knew the job. Honored those he served under. Had the total respect of those who served under him.

Never forgotten.

HOOAH

Thank you for your service to our country so long ago sir. As long as you are remembered you will always be with us….

Operation Fresh Start (January 29 – April 30, 1970) was an 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment land clearing operation along Route 246 in Tay Ninh Province, RVN. Land clearance missions sought to erase sections of the jungle to deny the enemy concealment and cover. Rome plows (Caterpillar D9 tractors) with specially equipped blades were used to clear timber and brush. Mechanized infantry units in M48 Patton tanks and armored cavalry assault vehicles (ACAV’s) provided security during the operations. After conducting their daytime operations, they would establish overnight defensive positions, generally on ground adjacent to highway 246. The tracked vehicles laagered in a circle and would place automatic ambushes (antipersonnel mines) around their position. On the night of March 5th, F Troop, 2nd Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry was set in place along the roadway fourteen kilometers (8.4 miles) east of Bo Tuc. Near midnight, alert troopers fired on an approaching platoon of North Vietnamese Army (NVA) soldiers, engaging them with unit weapons. The enemy, which included a sapper squad, returned fire with small arms and rocket-propelled grenades (RPG’s). Sporadic contact continued until 1:25 AM when the enemy withdrew. The fighting killed one U.S. soldier, 1SG Willie Johnson, who sustained blast injuries to the face from an exploding RPG; five others were wounded, plus an Army of the Republic of Vietnam soldier embedded with the Americans. Six NVA were killed, and two RPG-2 launchers were captured. The enemy remained in the area until 7:20 AM when an automatic ambush device set out by the troopers fired, killing one NVA and yielding a variety of captured weapons. Johnson was posthumously awarded the Silver Star medal for his actions during the fighting. The award followed two Bronze Stars he received previously for valorous actions in August and September 1969. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org]

I was 6 yrs old when he was killed. He had 7 children. My mother never remarried.