THE WALL OF FACES

My father, Kenny Fields, mentioned Stephen multiple times to me as I grew up. They graduated high school together and were friends. He would talk about how good of a guy Stephen was and that he respected his service to our country and that he missed him. Thank you, Steve, for your service and commitment to our country. Rest easy.

Dear Cpl Stephen Martino, Thank you for your service as a Flight Qualified Huey, UH-1 Helicopter Crewman.. Saying thank you isn't enough, but it is from the heart. Independence Day is tomorrow. Time passes quickly. Please watch over America, it stills needs your strength, courage and faithfulness, especially now. Rest in peace with the angels.

Thank you for your service and your sacrifice. Thank you for stepping up and answering your country's call. Rest easy knowing you will never be forgotten.

You and Lavigne and I flew on a test flight right after my night crew pulled a PE inspection on your ship. I pulled a South Vietnamese flag from the top of the trees as you guys took pictures of me doing it. I was yelling at Isley to back up so I could reach it hanging from the gun mount. He kept looking back at me and after grabbing it I realized my mike cord had pulled apart and he couldn't hear a damn thing I said. We all got some good laughs from that. Life was too short buddy. I think about you guys throughout the year. I, for one will never forget either one of you guys. Rest in peace!!

On August 19, 1969, a U.S. Army helicopter UH-1D (tail number 66-16303) from the 71st Assault Helicopter Company was flying Command and Control (C&C) in the Song Chang Valley 35 miles from Da Nang. The powerful 2nd North Vietnamese Army Division had infiltrated the area over time on a mission to annihilate nearby Hiep Duc. When they were prematurely discovered by U.S. troops, they revamped their battle plan to just kill as many GIs as possible to take advantage of mounting anti-war sentiment in the U.S. The C&C ship was carrying LTC Eli P. Howard Jr., the commanding officer of 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry, 196th Infantry Brigade, SP4 Richard A. Doria, and CSM Franklin D. Rowell plus an Associated Press correspondent, Oliver Noonan. Its crew included aircraft commander WO1 Gerald L. Silverstein, pilot WO1 John D. Plummer, crew chief PFC Stewart J. Lavigne, and gunner PFC Stephen L. Martino. While moving over the valley, the helicopter was taking heavy small-arms fire, but the pilot managed to fly safely to the east by hugging the Nui Lon ridge line. LTC Howard made several attempts to land with nearby Bravo Company, but he was forced to abort because of intense fire. The chopper then banked steeply toward Hill 101 probably to recon an enemy anti-aircraft position. Communist fire struck the chopper dead on, throwing LTC Howard and CSM Rowell out the open doors. The fuel tanks exploded, creating a midair fireball. Some of the craft stayed intact as fuselage fragments rained down on the ridge line. There were no survivors. [Taken from vhpa.org and fayobserver.com]