THE WALL OF FACES

During the late summer of 1968, the 4th Infantry Division conducted reconnaissance and surveillance of the Cambodian border in Military Region II to block enemy infiltration routes from both Cambodia and Laos across the Central Highlands into the coastal provinces. The Division was tasked with destroying North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong units and conducted spoiling attacks on enemy base areas and supply installations. At 6:20 PM on August 14th, during combat operations near Fire Support Base 29, seven kilometers (4.3 miles) southwest of Ben Het village in Kontum Province, RVN, the 3rd and 4th platoons of A Company, 3rd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment received a heavy weapons attack which included 75mm recoilless rifle and 82mm mortar fire. A U.S. Air Force Forward Air Controller flying close air support for the besieged U.S. units received heavy ground fire and was forced to return to Dak To with three hits on his aircraft. The Americans suffered heavy losses in the contact with fourteen killed. The lost personnel included (from A -3/12) PFC Robert I. Brown, SP4 Pedro J. Camacho-Rodriguez, SGT Raymond L. Daniels, PFC Roy L. Edelstein, 1LT Leo L. Hadley, PFC Scott D. Henry, SP4 Gary L. Maloy, SP4 John B. Mularz, PFC Steve D. Lee, PFC Bobby L. Riley, PFC Francis A. Schwarz, and SFC Henryk T. Sulatycki; (from HHC-3/12) medic SP4 Robert J. Santoro; and (from B Btry, 6th Bn, 29th Arty) forward observer 1LT Daniel L. Neuburger. Brown and Henry were posthumously promoted to Corporal. Enemy losses were not reported. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org, virtualwall.org, and “Operational Report of the 4th Infantry Division for Period Ending 31 October 1968” at ttu.edu]

Thank you for your service to our country so long ago sir. you. The remembrances from your siblings Glen and Peggy are touching and reflect their admiration and respect for you. As long as you are remembered you will remain in our hearts forever….

I don't know what its like up there in heaven but I hope you, mom, and dad are living it up now that you are all together again. I will always cherish my memories of our happy times together.

Dear Lt Daniel Neuberger, Thank you for your service as a Field Artillery Unit Commander, and for graduating from West Point. Saying thank you isn't enough, but it is from the heart. It’s a New Year, but not necessarily better. Time passes quickly. Please watch over America, it stills needs your strength, courage and faithfulness, especially now. Rest in peace with the angels.

The "Friends of Rocky Versace" remember one of Rocky's fellow alumni from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point - a brother Ranger - 1LT Daniel Leo Neuburger, USMA class of 1967, on what would've been his 75th birthday - 21 July 2020.