THE WALL OF FACES

Your sacrifice is not forgotten.

HOOAH

Thank you for your service to our country so long ago sir. May you rest in eternal peace.

I remember Kim from the early 1960's in Milford Utah. Our family had just moved there from Nevada. I was 19 at the time so I'm guessing he was probably 17. Nice kid, worked at a service station. His girlfriend would sit in his car, at the station, and wait for him to get off work. I was serving in Vietnam at TSN in Saigon when he was killed.

PFC Kim S. Bird was an artilleryman serving with C Battery, 4th Battalion, 42nd Artillery, 4th Infantry Division. On the early morning of December 14, 1966, Bird was at a 4th Infantry Division forward operating base approximately two miles from the Cambodian border where a United States Air Force Douglas AC-47 “Spooky” modified with three 7.62mm General Electric miniguns was providing close air support for nearby ground troops. While the gunship was conducting its fire mission, it strayed over the firebase. The gunship, which could put a bullet into every square yard of a football field-sized target in less than ten seconds, sent rounds impacting throughout the encampment. Bird was fatally wounded after he was hit in the chest and neck. Another trooper was seriously wounded. One soldier using a sandbag for a pillow had just rolled over when a bullet hit where his head was a second before. Another trooper had the ammo pouch shot off his belt. A dustoff medevac helicopter was requested and took over an hour to reach the isolated base. Bird received a posthumous promotion to Corporal. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org and information provided by Bill Saling at 1-22infantry.org]

Corporal Kim Sovereen Bird, Served with Battery C, 4th Battalion, 42nd Artillery Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, United States Army Vietnam.