THE WALL OF FACES

"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotions and spends himself in a great worthy cause; who at the best, knows in the end triumph of high achievement and, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while caring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold, timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat." Theodore Roosevelt

Dear PFC Louis Purdy, Thank you for your service as an Infantryman. I researched you on your 54th anniverary, sad. Saying thank you isn't enough, but it is from the heart. Independence Day is this weekend. Time passes quickly. Please watch over America, it stills needs your strength, courage and faithfulness, especially now. Rest in peace with the angels.

Lou: I remember you well. You were our catcher when I pitched for Greenwich Rotary. You skillfully moved your glove to make every bad pitch I threw, which were many, look better. God Bless you. You are not forgotten. Fred Finn

On June 15, 1967, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry was assigned security for a round-trip resupply convoy from Chu Lai Combat Base to Duc Pho Base Camp. Units were placed at critical points along Highway QL-1, and A Company, 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry was placed on alert as a quick response force with lift helicopters on (air)strip alert. The convoy left Chu Lai at 7:30 AM and arrived at Duc Pho at 2:00 PM. The return from Duc Pho began at 3:00 PM when the convoy began moving back north, stopping at Quang Ngai Airfield at 7:00 PM. At this time, 2-35 Infantry was released from the assigned mission. At 6:45 PM, C Troop, 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry, 25th Infantry Division was returning to LZ Liz on a dike road above some dry rice paddies with members of Recon 2-35 from the day’s convoy operation when one of their M113A armored personnel carriers (APC) detonated a pressure-release mine estimated at two hundred and fifty pounds. The blast occurred approximately three hundred yards from the gates to LZ Liz. The explosion killed eleven personnel from 2/35 Infantry and 3/4 Cavalry, and the APC was totally destroyed. The lost personnel included PFC Barry L. Adam, SP4 Paul Bowman Jr., SSG Joe R. DeBault, PFC Juan J. Gonzalez, SP4 Lawrence A. Hurd, PFC Michael R. Ojile, PFC Louis J. Purdy, PFC Floyd H. Russell Jr., SP5 Valentino Tauaese, PFC Herbert Wigfall Jr., and SGT Frederick J. Williams. One survivor was seriously wounded. Personnel were riding inside and atop the APC when the mine was hit. The blast spread the APC over an area estimated at 100 yards in radius. Initially thought to be from a command detonated mine, a later inspection of the blast zone revealed no wires, indicating the mine was pressure detonated. There was early confusion on this issue as another APC had crossed the same area without incident. As darkness fell, flare ships provided illumination over the incident area. All the bodies were extracted by 7:45 PM. Some thirty Vietnamese suspects from a nearby village were taken into custody for interrogation and were flown from the site in three helicopter lifts. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org and 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Operational Reports - Lessons Learned (ORLL) for May-June 1967]

Louis didn’t know you, but saw you around I was friends with your brothers Floyd and Dennis both great guys. I remember one night at the Newport Inn, I was on leave before going across the pond I saw Dennis and he knew where I was going and he kept telling me I lost my brother, don’t want to lose you too. He is a heck of a guy. You are a respected Patriot, Loved and Missed by many and won’t be forgotten, You Gave All