THE WALL OF FACES

War drew us from our homeland
In the sunlit springtime of our youth.
Those who did not come back alive remain
in perpetual springtime -- forever young --
And a part of them is with us always.

On the remembrance of your 77th birthday, your sacrifice is not forgotten.

HOOAH

Dear PFC Valentine Marquez, Thank you for your service as an Airborne Qualified Infantryman. Saying thank you isn't enough, but it is from the heart. It is the last day of spring, and Father’s Day is this weekend. Time passes quickly. Please watch over America, it stills needs your strength, courage and faithfulness. Rest in peace with the angels.

Private First Class Valentine Marquez, Served with Company C, 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, United States Army Vietnam.

Operation Hump was a search and destroy operation initiated by U.S. Army on November 5, 1965, with the objective was to drive out Viet Cong (VC) fighters who had taken up positions on several key hills north of Bien Hoa in Bien Hoa Province, RVN. Little contact was made through November 7th, when Sky Soldiers from B and C Companies,1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry, 173rd Airborne Brigade, settled into a night defensive position southeast of Hill 65, on a triple-canopied jungle hill. Early on November 8th, C Company began a move northwest toward Hill 65, while B Company moved northeast toward Hill 78. C Company became engaged by a sizeable enemy force, well dug in to the southern face of Hill 65, armed with machine guns and shotguns. B Company was directed to wheel in place and proceed toward Hill 65 with the intention of relieving C Company, often relying on fixed bayonets to repel daring close range attacks by small bands of masked VC fighters. As B Company reached the foot of Hill 65, it became obvious that there was a large enemy force in place on the hill. C Company was suffering heavy casualties, and by chance, B Company was forcing the enemy's right flank. The enemy force—most of a VC regiment—shifted their position to the northwest, whereupon the B Company commander called in air and incendiary artillery fire on the retreating rebels. The shells scorched the foliage and caught many VC fighters ablaze, exploding the ammunition and grenades they carried. The VC commander realized that his best chance was to close with the U.S. forces so that the 173rd's air and artillery fire could not be effectively employed. The result was shoulder-to-shoulder attacks up the hillside, with hand-to-hand fighting. The Americans held against two such attacks, and by late afternoon it seemed that contact had been broken, allowing the two companies to prepare a night defensive position and collect their dead and wounded. American paratroopers inflicted 403 killed (by body count) on the enemy, but lost 49 dead in the process. The lost Sky Soldiers included PFC Rudolph R. Aguilar, SP4 James Belton, SFC Bryant Brayboy Jr., PFC Herman Brown, SSG Magno Campos, SFC Henry T. Cannon, PFC Lavalle E. Carlton, SSG Samuel A. Eidson, PFC Gary L. Elmore, PFC Byron J. Foster, SP4 Everett W. Goias, PFC Harold Goldman, PFC Kenneth E. Graham, SGT Lloyd V. Greene, PFC Joseph T. Hamilton, PFC John E. Hannigan III, SP4 Robert W. Harden Jr., SSG Clifton W. Harrington, PSG Leroy Hill, SGT Rebel L. Holcomb, SGT Lawrence P. Howard Jr., SGT John A. Hughlett, SP4 Wayne W. Humphries, SGT Theodore R. Jones Jr., SGT David L. Keel, CPL Cleo Lockett, PFC Valentine Marquez, PFC Michael K. Mathison, PFC Michael M. Medley, PVT Charles L. Mitchell, SP4 John A. Nathan, PFC Steve Orris III, PFC Jerry L. Potter, PFC Michael P. Russo, PFC Dennis D. Rutowski, SSG Theodore M. Shamblin, PFC Harold M. Smith, PFC Daniel J. Sobota, SP4 Cordell Spencer, SP4 Scip Tate, 2LT Clair H. Thurston Jr., PFC Samuel S. Tolliver, SP4 Thomas A. Turnage, 2LT David L. Ugland, PFC Davis Uptain, SP4 Vincent George, PFC Danny R. Ward, PFC Kelly E. Whitaker, and SGT Troy B. Williams. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org and wikipedia.org]