THE WALL OF FACES

Remember to save for them a place inside of you, and save one backward glance when you are leaving, for the places they can no longer go...

Dear Sp4 Pietro Piconi, Thank you for your service as an Infantryman with the 1st Cavalry. Saying thank you isn't enough, but it is from the heart. It is the 46th anniversary of the last battle of the war, and the Ascension. Time passes quickly. Please watch over America, it stills needs your strength, courage and faithfulness, especially now. Rest in peace with the angels.

On the remembrance of your 75th birthday, your sacrifice is not forgotten.

HOOAH

On November 26, 1968, a U.S. Army helicopter UH-1H from the 15th Medical Battalion was conducting a medical evacuation when it was shot down near Quan Loi and crashed and burned. There were no survivors. The lost crewmen included pilots CWO James D. Doran and 1LT Stephen C. Beals, crew chief SP4 John S. Alling Jr., and medics SP5 Johnny G. Gregg and CPL Robert E. Jones. There were six passengers aboard at the time of the shoot down. They included PFC Roger D. Algire, SP4 William M. Ebel, SP4 Bobby J. Perkins, SP4 Pietro Piconi, SP4 Curtis H. Rainer, and SP4 Patrick E. Smith. Also aboard was the body of PFC Lloyd A. Chess, who was killed in action previous to the attempted medical extraction. Chess was posthumously promoted to Corporal. The aircraft went down northwest of LZ Rita. The medevac reportedly received heavy ground fire and crashed roughly three miles south of the Cambodian border. At the time of the shoot down, all infantry companies in the vicinity had received orders to move south or southwest in a hurry to clear the area for an impending B-52 Arc Light strike. Two rifle companies were airlifted back to the location of the downed medevac. On November 28th (Thanksgiving Day), they located the wreckage and the bodies, confirmed the fatalities, and called for recovery assistance. All the bodies were recovered and airlifted back to Quan Loi. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org and vhpa.org]

Thank you Spec 4 Piconi for your leadership and courage.