THE WALL OF FACES

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.

Never forget.

GARRYOWEN

Operation Delaware was a joint military action of the U.S. Army’s 1st Cavalry Division and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) into the A Shau Valley to dislodge North Vietnamese Army (NVA) forces entrenched there since March 1966 after overrunning an isolated U.S. Special Forces camp. The A Shau, in Thua Thien Province, RVN, was a vital corridor the enemy used to move military supplies which came down the Ho Chi Minh Trail, and was used by the NVA as a staging area for numerous attacks in northern I Corps. OP Delaware began on April 19, 1968, after preparatory B-52 and tactical bombing of NVA anti-aircraft and troop positions in the valley. Troops from 5th Battalion, 7th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division were placed by helicopter as a blocking force on the road adjacent to LZ Tiger (Low) on the west side of the valley. On the sixth day of the operation, at approximately 6:00 PM, the First and Third Platoons with the Headquarters element of Company D, 5th Battalion, 7th Cavalry, were on a search and destroy operation near LZ Tiger when they were ambushed by an unknown-size enemy force concealed in well-fortified positions. PFC Hubia J. Guillory was on point with SP4 David L. Scott behind him in the slack position. With them was SP4 Daniel M. Kelley. Caught in a crossfire within twenty-five feet of the enemy, they were killed almost instantly. Kelley died of a neck wound, Scott was shot in the chest, and Guillory was hit and then killed when hand grenades were thrown within four feet of him. Three attempts were made to reach the men, but each was forced back by hostile action. Platoon members concealed thirty feet away could see the men’s torn pants and blood. They called out to the three soldiers until night fell, but there was no response. Observed for a minimum of two hours, no signs of life were detected. Because of the tactical situation, the unit broke into small groups to escape and evade, leaving their casualties behind. Repeated attempts to recover the remains of the three men were conducted in 1993, 2004, 2005, and 2011 without success. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org and pownetwork.org]

Dear Sp4 Daniel Kelley, Thank you for your service as an Infantryman with the 1st Cavalry. You are still MIA. Please come home. Saying thank you isn't enough, but it is from the heart. We are approaching Thanksgiving. The time passes quickly. Please watch over America, it stills needs your strength, courage and faithfulness. Rest in peace with the angels.

I lost my Dad on April 25,2016, the same date that you were declared MIA. My Dad was from Dorchester Mass, as were you.My Dad also served his country in the Marines. I wear a bracelet in memory of you and him. Thank you for your sacrifice.