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….

On May 16, 1971, a New York Times article described heroin use by American troops in Vietnam had reached epidemic proportions. The piece reported that 10 to 15 percent of lower-ranking enlisted men were heroin users, and military officials working in drug‐suppression estimated that as much as a quarter of all enlisted personnel, more than 60,000 men, were hooked. They added that some field surveys reported units with more than 50 percent of the men on heroin. In Vietnam, the drug was plentiful, cheap, and 95 percent pure. Its effects could casually be achieved through smoking or snorting, as compared to the U.S., where the drug was impure, only about five percent heroin, and had to be main-lined or injected into the bloodstream to achieve a comparable high. The habit, which cost $100 a day to maintain in the U.S., cost less than $5 a day in Vietnam. Landing Zone (LZ) Hawk Hill (Hill 29) was located approximately 12 kilometers (7.2 miles) northwest of Tam Ky in Quang Tin Province, RVN. At approximately 9:30 PM on January 21, 1971, an unknown individual tossed a CS (tear gas) cannister inside a bunker occupied by American GI’s. The occupants quickly vacated the structure when they realized another man, SP4 George R. Marr, was still inside. He was pulled out and taken to the Medical Battalion facility where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Marr was 19 years old. His body was forwarded to the U.S. Army Mortuary at Tan Son Nhut Air Base and turned over to Graves Registration personnel. After processing, it was transported to Dover Force Base in Delaware before being returned to his family in Virginia. A casualty report dated February 3, 1971, attributed his death to the chemical agent; however, an amended report was issued eight weeks later indicating that Marr succumbed to “acute narcotism with aspiration.” [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org and “G.I. Heroin Addiction Epidemic in Vietnam.” New York Times (New York, NY), May 16, 1971]

Image courtesy of Redbird Research LLC, Saint Charles, MO.

I still see that chopper ride off of LA Blackhawk to go home and You going on R&R to Hawaii in Dec of 1970. Sorry I wasn't there for You when things got bad. Think of You often Buddy. Rest in peace. (I'm the one in the middle of the photo at LZ Blackhawk.)

Dear Sp4 George Marr, Thank you for your service as a General Vehicle Repairman. The 50th anniversary of the start of your tour is soon. 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.