THE WALL OF FACES

"An God said who shall we send.I answered I am here,send me."

Isaiah 6:8

A SCHOOL MATE,A TEAM MATE,A TRUE BUDDY
JOHN BROWN-CLASS OF 63.

Tony and I were in the same platoon at The Basic School class 3-69 at Quantico, VA. Sept. 1968-February 1969. We were paired in the boobytrap lane competition and class disarming dummy mines and boobytraps into the late evening in a steady drizzle. We were the last ones in Charlie Co. not to have detonated one of the boobytraps. He and his wife were expecting their first child and he lamented the fact he might be in Vietnam at the time of the child's birth. I told them I wished I could trade places with him as I was to be sent to Camp Lejuene, N.C. following TBS. He was in-country one month when someone on his 1st Recon Bn. patrol (Team Nail Brush)in the boonies stepped on a boobytrap killing Tony and two other Marines and injuring 6 others on April 16. He was the first of 3-69 to die. The team had been inserted April 2 in the bush and was scheduled for a 21-day patrol. I heard the news of his baby girl's birth April 13 never reached him. That has always bothered me. I will miss him. Semper Fi, Dan Kellum, 1stLt. Vietnam, Jan. 1970-Jan. 1971.

I think of you everyday of my life. The good times we spent together in our baby gribs, learning how to talk and walk, playing ball together. And just being friends.

Anthony is not forgotten.
He has sacrificed his young life and his entire future, so that we can embrace the freedom that is America.
God bless you Anthony.