THE WALL OF FACES

Today is your birthday! Sad we didn’t have more times together than 52 pick up! I still laugh about that evening when we were kids. Love cousin Susan

Never forgotten.

HOOAH

At approximately 3:00 AM on April 25, 1969, an allied camp a half mile southwest of Lang Vei on Highway QL-9 in Quang Tri Province, RVN, was attacked by North Vietnamese Army (NVA) soldiers throwing grenades and tossing satchel charges following a mortar barrage. The camp, an artillery firing position four miles southwest of the abandoned U.S. Marine base at Khe Sanh and two miles from the Laotian border, was occupied by a unit of the U.S. Fifth Division and a company-sized Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) armored cavalry detachment. About thirty NVA assaulted the allied perimeter where the American artillerymen fought back with support of fire from tank guns and .50 caliber machines guns mounted on the top of armored personnel vehicles (APC’s). At one point, the artillerymen lowered their cannons and fired point-blank into the swarming NVA. The battle ended at 6:00 AM, and two platoons from A-1/61 pursued the enemy to reestablish contact. Three U.S. were killed in the engagement and another twelve were wounded. The lost personnel were SP4 Samuel A. Bessent, SP5 David M. Lacey, and 1LT Ronald B. Vann. Nine ARVN also died including an Australian advisor embedded with them; another forty-three were wounded. A reported thirty enemy were killed, and an assortment of weapons were captured, including a portable flamethrower. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org and “Artillerymen Fire Point-Blank, Beat Off Reds.” The Daily News (New York, NY), April 26, 1969]

On the remembrance of your 73rd birthday, your sacrifice is not forgotten.

HOOAH

Dear Sp5 David Lacey, Thank you for your service as an Armor Crewman. Saying thank you isn't enough, but it is from the heart. The time passes quickly. Please watch over America, it stills needs your strength, courage, guidance and faithfulness. Rest in peace with the angels.