THE WALL OF FACES

The “Friends of Rocky Versace” once again remember one of the 67 men whose name is chiseled into a stone bench beneath a Gold Star at the Captain Rocky Versace Plaza and Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Alexandria, VA, Captain Joseph Lewis Powell Jr., on what would’ve been his 75th birthday – 5 November 2017.

I babysat the son of Capt Powell and his wife in Jacksonville, NC. They treated me like a daughter and I spent a lot of time with them. After his death, my mother had heart surgery at Bethesda and Mrs. Powell came to visit us. They were really good people and his death was a great loss for many.

We spent most of high school together except last year.
I came back to area to double date for one evening dancing and of course "watching the submarine races" on the Potomac
I went into USAF and he went to collage. I didn't know he went into service till the 70's till I heard he was killed in Vietnam .I left there in 63 I always felt it was such a loss to loose him. He had so much potential. and a great friend.
Living in Groveton VA. will always be the "best of times"
we lost a good person.

The “Friends of Rocky Versace” remember one of the 67 men whose name is chiseled into stone beneath a Gold Star at the Captain Rocky Versace Plaza and Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Captain Joseph Lewis Powell Jr., on what would’ve been his 74th birthday – 5 November 2016.

On October 17, 1968, a U.S. Marine Corps helicopter CH-46D (tail number 154794) from Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 161 (HMM-161) was reported missing. The helicopter was located the next morning, having crashed on the side of a mountain, killing all six persons on board. The aircraft was believed to have hit a ridgeline hidden by the clouds. A separate report states it was shot down coming out of Con Tien in the DMZ on a MEDEVAC flight and crashed into a mountain. The squadron lost pilot CAPT Joseph L. Powell Jr., aircraft commander 1LT James N. Sweet, gunner CPL John R. Ferrazzano, crewman LCPL William D. Frantz and crew chief LCPL Robert M. Cheek. [Taken from archive.org and vhpa.org]