THE WALL OF FACES

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

I was the company clerk for the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Cav. I was the one who gathered the information that January 1968 day Art was killed and forwarded it to command headquarters. I have been in contact with Art's family in Bennington, OK for the past decade or so. Art and I would sit on the floor of his tent on some LZ and listen to 45 rpm records on his battery operated (?) record player. He loved the song "To Sir With Love" and played it over and over again. When I ever hear that song I get that proverbial lump in my throat and remember our youth and that unforgettable day in January 1968. He was just a kid and now I'm an old man. Life in surely unfair. Mike Lorber, Mt. Pleasant, Wisconsin: 262-554-8310

Dear Sp5 Arthur Lauderdale, Thank you for your service as a Huey, UH-1 Helicopter Repairer with the 1st Cavalry. Saying thank you isn't enough, but it is from the heart. For many of us, we have begun Lent. The time passes quickly. Please watch over America, it stills needs your strength, courage, guidance and faithfulness. Rest in peace with the angels.

Dear SP5 Arthur Leon Lauderdale, sir

As an American, I would like to thank you for your service and for your sacrifice made on behalf of our wonderful country. The youth of today could gain much by learning of heroes such as yourself, men and women whose courage and heart can never be questioned.

May God allow you to read this, and may He allow me to someday shake your hand when I get to Heaven to personally thank you. May he also allow my father to find you and shake your hand now to say thank you; for America, and for those who love you.

With respect, and the best salute a civilian can muster for you, Sir

Curt Carter

LTC Bob L. Gregory’s Command and Control helicopter UH-1D (212 Cavalry, 3rd BDE, 1 Cav Div) was shot down in the Que Son Valley on January 7, 1968 during a large battle against the 3rd NVA Regiment during Tet 1968. The aircraft was flying a C&C mission out of LZ Ross when it came under fire. The crew included pilots WO1 Marshall H. Ford and WO1 Robert F. Bahl Jr., crew chief SP5 Arthur L. Lauderdale, and gunner PFC Lloyd E. Knake. Also on board were SFC Richard C. Keefe and MAJ Lawrence M. Malone. All suffered fatal injuries in the crash. [Taken from vhpa.org and armyaircrews.com]