THE WALL OF FACES

I came across this website many years ago and I have read literally 1,000's of profiles...I don't leave many remembrances...I wouldn't know where to start or more so, when to stop...but, when I read Sgt. Poolaw's page, I knew that I had to leave a note...Awarded 4 Silver Stars in 3 different wars has to be a first and only time in our nation's long military history...I noticed Sgt. Poolaw was born January 29 1922 which made me think of my father...he was born January 24 1922...Dad fought in the Philippines and survived the infamous Bataan Death March...also made it through a hellish month on a Japanese "Hell Ship" and then 2 years captivity in Japan...he was about 10 miles away from Nagasaki working in coal mine when the 2nd atomic bomb exploded...down to about 75 pounds after the war, my dad stayed in the Army and was in Japan for the Occupation when the Korean War broke out...sent to the Yalu River on the border between China and North Korea...shortly after getting there the Chinese attacked in full force...when the sun came up there were literally hundreds of dead or dying Chinese in front of them...and through all the adrenaline he didn't realize that he had been shot in the face...my Dad stayed in the Army(26 years) and I know he wanted to help in Vietnam but by that time he had a family and Mom said hell no...these men were truly from our Greatest Generation who have seen the folly of warfare and I wonder what they would say about the world today and all it's current conflicts...my Dad passed away in 1998 and I miss him every day...I was and still am proud to be his son.

Thank you for your service to our country so long ago sir. Your four Silver Star citations attest to your courage and devotion to your fellow soldiers. As long as you are remembered you will always be with us….

First Sergeant Pascal Cleatus Poolaw, Sr. was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force. He served as an Infantry Senior Sergeant and was assigned to C CO, 1ST BN, 26TH INFANTRY, 1ST INF DIV. He served in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
See https://army.togetherweserved.com/

First Sergeant Pascal Cleatus Poolaw, Sr. was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for Valor, with Combat Distinguishing Device (V) and three Oak Leaf Clusters, for his exemplary courage in action. He served as an Infantry Senior Sergeant and was assigned to C CO, 1ST BN, 26TH INFANTRY, 1ST INF DIV. He served in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
See https://army.togetherweserved.com/

Operation Shenandoah II was a security operation from September 29 to November 19, 1967, conducted by the U.S. Army’s 1st and 3rd Brigades, 1st Infantry Division, to secure and repair Highway QL-13 and cut enemy infiltration routes into III Corps from Cambodia. On the eighth day of the operation, the 3rd Brigade's 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment moved to a firebase northeast of Loc Ninh in Binh Long Province, RVN, and began probing east towards where the Viet Cong 272nd Regiment was believed in the area. The following morning, November 7th, with Company A remaining to guard the firebase, the rest of 1/26 Infantry left to patrol a dirt road bordered by a rubber plantation near Srok Rung, five miles northeast of Loc Ninh. At 1:05 PM, the column entered the rubber trees and chased some enemy combatants into a U-shaped ambush. Camouflaged North Vietnamese Army (NVA) soldiers were hidden high in trees and in ground-level brush. Their initial barrage of rocket-propelled grenades killed the entire 1/26 command element, including Battalion Commander LTC Arthur D. Stigall, and disabled most of their radios. On the road, small arms and machine gun fire raked the rest of the column. Eighteen Americans were killed and twenty-two were wounded; a Vietnamese interpreter was also killed. Company D, at the rear of the column, maneuvered to prevent the NVA from outflanking them. Its commander assumed temporary command of the battalion, calling in air and artillery strikes to cover the unit as it withdrew to a more defensible position. After an hour of fighting, the NVA broke contact. The lost Americans included Stigall (posthumously awarded Distinguished Service Cross and promoted to Colonel), PFC Larry C. Banks, SP4 Lawrence W. Barkley, SP4 Billie J. Barnett Jr., SP4 James R. Brown, PFC Walter C. Bunyea Jr., PSG George D. Clayton (posthumously awarded Silver Star medal), CPT Michael D. Cochran, SP4 John R. Ensell, 1LT Terry A. Hendricks (posthumously awarded Bronze Star medal), SGT Charles E. Long, SGT Ronald H. Payne (posthumously awarded Bronze Star medal), 1SG Pascal C. Poolaw Sr. (posthumously awarded Silver Star medal), PFC Ronald G. Stoltenow, SP4 Robert F. Stryker (posthumously awarded Medal of Honor), SP4 Clarence L. Shaw, (posthumously awarded Distinguished Service Cross), SP4 Larry E. Turner, and SP4 John E. Young. Enemy dead was reported at sixty-six (by body count). [Taken from virtualwall.org and “ARMY 1967 1st Brigade 1st Infantry Div AAR” at ttu.edu]