THE WALL OF FACES

Thank you for your service to our country so long ago sir. The remembrances from Daniel Kirkpatrick are touching and reflect his admiration and respect for you. As long as you are remembered you will remain in our hearts forever….

Dear Sp4 Duane Romeo, Thank you for your service as an Avionic Communication Equipment Repairer. The 54th anniversary of the start of your tour was 2 days ago. Saying thank you isn't enough, but it is from the heart. It is Columbus Day Weekend. Time moves quickly. Please watch over America, it stills needs your strength, courage and faithfulness, especially now. Rest in peace with the angels.

I met Duane the night before he was killed. I was new in country and was an MP assigned to the front gate at the airfield. Intelligence said that it was supposed to be hit that night (2/22/69). We had doubled up the MP's at the gate. We had a couple of things in common, our first names, and we were both from New York State (Albion, NY) Duane had someting to do with airfield security and his jeep kept coming back to our position to make sure that we were OK. We talked and he made us feel like we would at least have instant back-up if necessary. He seemed like a really nice person. I was out on a checkpoint the next night when they hit everything and all hell broke out. I heard the day after that he had been killed. All of the MP's that met him that night felt that we had lost one of our own. Rest in peace my brother.
Feb 26, 2007

SP4 Duane C. Romeo was trained as an Avionic Communications Equipment Repairer, assigned to Qui Nhon Army Airfield, RVN. SP4 Romeo, like other non-infantry personnel, contributed to the security of the airfield, and for a time was assigned to the 343rd Airfield Security Detachment, overseeing the guards for the gates on the airfield. On February 23, 1969, Qui Nhon came under attack by a sapper squad of 12-14-year old’s which blew up the gate and sent a rocket into the guard building by the base post office. During the attack, Romeo and another guard got in a M151 jeep to deliver extra ammo to the gates. As they rounded a corner to one of the gates, an explosion occurred, sending a bullet through the windshield of the jeep, fatally injuring Romeo. The jeep crashed and the soldier with him was injured. The six children of the sapper squad did not get very far into the airfield and were cut down by American gunfire. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org and information provided by Dan Kirkpatrick (January 2018)]

You were a great friend and taught me a lot during our time together in Vietnam. A day does not go by that you are not thought of even after all these years. Living in Pensacola I visit Wall south and look you up when ever I am near the War Memorial here. Even my grand daughter knows of you and the camaraderie we shared.