THE WALL OF FACES

Thank you for your service to our country so long ago sir. The remembrance from fellow marine George Reilly is touching and reflects his admiration and respect for you. As long as you are remembered you will remain in our hearts forever….

Never forgotten.

Semper Fi, Marine

Dear Ssgt Jose Rosas, Thank you for your service as an Assaultman. I researched you on your 82nd birthday, happy birthday. Saying thank you isn't enough, but it is from the heart. Yesterday was Columbus Day. Time moves quickly. Please watch over America, it stills needs your strength, courage and faithfulness, especially now. Rest in peace with the angels.

On May 2, 1967, a fifteen-man patrol from 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, call sign “Circumstance 1-C,” departed LZ Finch at Hill 327, Danang, RVN, to conduct a multi-day reconnaissance and surveillance operation to detect Viet Cong (VC) movement and possible arms infiltration along a network of trails near Hill 502. The team consisted of ten Marines from 1st Platoon, C Company, 1st Recon, one Navy corpsman, and four members of South Vietnam’s Provincial Reconnaissance Unit. The patrol was inserted by helicopter a began moving in a westerly direction. The terrain was mountainous, steep, with canopy up to 150 feet high and water abundant in the ravines. On the first days of the patrol, the team made several sightings of the enemy, calling an artillery fire mission at one point which killed two VC. They also discovered a large cache of rice and a 20-hut complex suspected of being a training camp. A reaction force from Kilo Company, 3/7 Marines was sent in to destroy the camp and rice cache. Six bundles of black pajamas were also found, and these were distributed to the infantry unit, some of whom put them on as their uniforms were in poor condition. Around midday on May 8th, the patrol was leading the infantry unit out of the area when it was ambushed by VC on the northwest slope of Hill 1025. Two recon team members were killed, patrol leader SSGT Jose A. Rosas and rifleman PFC Durand G. Liggett. Three other Marines were wounded. Enemy groundfire directed at medivac aircraft attempting to reach the besieged unit caused one U.S. Air Force helicopter to crash. The following morning, while under fire, a USMC CH-46 helicopter was able to pick up the dead and wounded by sling. The remainder of the patrol and infantry unit moved to a landing zone where helicopters returned them to LZ Finch. The debriefing of the recon team confirmed that the area from Hill 785 south to Hill 1025 was a well-established VC stronghold and that extensive B-52 strike were recommended with follow-up search and destroy operations. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org and Command Chronology – Da Nang (1st Recon Bn), May 1967 at ttu.edu]

Thank you for your service and your sacrifice. Thank you for stepping up and answering your country's call. Rest easy knowing you will never be forgotten.