THE WALL OF FACES

Went to school with Jim and was also a fellow Marine. Theses photos have brought back deep memories- not all of them bad. He is not forgotten.

In April 1968, the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines, was placed at Ca Lu Combat Base on National Highway QL- 9 in Quang Tri Province, RVN, and assigned responsibility for securing the highway from Khe Sanh Combat Base to the coast. Golf Company, 2/9, under 3/1 control, provided the battalion extra military capability and were placed at bridges along the route. On the morning of April 18th, a squad (reinforced) from 2nd Platoon, Golf 2/9, positioned at Bridge 28 reported contact with North Vietnamese Army (NVA) forces. The remainder of 2nd Platoon, Golf 2/9, accompanied by two tanks, moved out from Ca Lu to reinforce them and exploit the contact. When they arrived on scene, they found the NVA in well-concealed bunkers along the sides of a heavily vegetated ravine running north from the bridge. While the NVA had a fair field of fire against the bridge and both approaches to it, the Marines could only bring glancing fire against the bunkers. At 10:25 AM, a five-truck convoy of B Battery, 1/11 artillerymen from Khe Sanh attempted to run the gauntlet across Bridge 28. All five vehicles were hit by enemy fire resulting in numerous personnel killed and wounded. The artillerymen became stranded and engaged by fire from the ravine, and Golf 2/9 suffered heavy casualties attempting to extricate the dead and wounded from the convoy. On April 20th, Mike Company, 3/1 was helilifted onto the high ground north of the enemy positions and assault down the ravine. Golf 2/9 coordinated supporting fires on the enemy positions, and by nightfall, enemy fire had been reduced enough to allow movement across Bridge 28. By noon of the 22nd, QL-9 was declared open to traffic. A total of twenty-nine NVA had been killed versus twenty-five Marines. The Marines lost during the three-day fight at Bridge 28 included (B Battery, 1/11): CPL William Adams Jr., LCPL Donald R. Allen, and PFC Gilbert Mendoza; (Mike 3/1) CPL Don E. Davis, CPL Robert C. Hawes, LCPL Alexander Chisolm, LCPL John M. Vaughn, PFC Kent R. Bolter, PFC John L. Czechowski, PFC Eugene Harris, PFC Francis X. Kane, PFC Charles J. Rachon, and PFC Edward E. Whalen; (Golf 2/9) CPL Lawrence J. Snyder, CPL James D. Craft, LCPL Tomas Gonzales, LCPL Michael D. Padilla, LCPL Thomas J. Worley, LCPL William P. York, PFC Lee C. Adams, PFC Michael J. Caporale, PFC Neil H. Exum, PFC Andrew J. Payne Jr., PFC Scott A. Wright, and PFC Lewis J. Young. [Taken from virtualwall.org and “Command Chronology (3rd Bn, 1st Marines) April 1968” at ttu.edu]

Dear PFC Andrew Payne, Thank you for your service as a Rifleman. Your 53rd anniversary is soon, sad. Saying thank you isn't enough, but it is from the heart. It is Easter Thursday. Time passes quickly. Please watch over America, it stills needs your strength, courage and faithfulness, especially now. Rest in peace with the angels.

I served with Jim as part of 1st Plt Golf Company 2/9 It seems like yesterday that we went up and down those mountains together.You gave all and all worriers thank you!!! Temper Fi. Ron Chance

Andrew James Payne, Jr. was one of my friends at Herbert Hoover High School in Glendale, CA during the 60’s. I knew him as “Jim” and we spent time together on a few double dates and occasionally cruised “Colorado Bob’s” restaurant on Saturday evenings, checking out the girls. Neither of us were anyone special, just regular guys, doing what high school age guys do. We had some good times together.

Jim was a year ahead of me in school and had already joined the Marines when I started my senior year. One morning in late Spring of 1968, we were starting our P.E. class when Coach Kohlmeier gathered us together on the deck next to the school swimming pool. With tears in his eyes he announced that Jim Payne, one of his former students and well known to all of us, had been killed in combat in Viet Nam. This was the first time I’d ever actually known a Viet Nam war casualty and it came as a shock. Unfortunately, Jim wouldn’t be the last.

A few months after graduating from high school, I too enlisted in the Marines. I guess I just wanted to find out first hand, what it was all about. After returning home safely after a year in Viet Nam during 1969-70, I came up with few answers and just went on with my life.

Since that time, I spend every Memorial Day thinking about Jim and the pain I feel (and maybe a little guilt too) since he was not able to go on to college, get married, have a family and live out his days as I have. Life just isn’t fair.

Thomas Holst
Boise, Idaho