THE WALL OF FACES

Thank you for your service to our country so long ago sir. You died at 18 years of age. I am 74 and have lived a long and fulfilling life. It is tragic you never had that same opportunity. May you rest in eternal peace.

Dear Sgt Perry Scott, Thank you for your service as an Armor Crewman. Saying thank you isn't enough, but it is from the heart. Happy New Year. Time moves quickly. Please watch over America, it stills needs your strength, courage, guidance and faithfulness, especially now. Rest in peace with the angels.

On the afternoon of April 18, 1969, elements of C Troop, 3rd Squadron, 5th Cavalry Regiment, a U.S. Army mechanized unit, was traveling on Highway QL-9 in the upper Quang Tri Province, RVN, when they came across two platoons of Marines from C Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry returning from a road sweep. The tankers offered the Marines a lift which they accepted. Shortly thereafter, one of the tanks hit a mine, disabling the vehicle. It was late by the time the column was ready to move again, so they bivouacked alongside of the road, the Marines on a slight rise, and the mechanized unit a hundred yards away in a slight valley. Unbeknownst to the armored troopers, they set their overnight camp in the middle of a North Vietnamese Army (NVA) bunker system. After dark, at approximately 8:30 PM, a trip flare set out by the Americans went up, signaling the presence of enemy sappers. Eight NVA were spotted running in the open and were engaged by U.S. troops. The enemy then attacked from the north and northwest, infiltrating the camp and firing weapons and tossing satchel charges. U.S. flare ships, AC-47 “Spooky” gunships, and artillery were used in support of the besieged Americans. The sometimes close-quarter fighting raged approximately three hours. The Marine unit, only a football field away, was advised to stay put as the confused combat made for unclear battle lines. Nearby Marine and Army artillery units plus air support kept most of the attackers outside the camp and finally drove the NVA into the surrounding jungle. Twelve U.S. Army personnel were killed and twenty-two were wounded. They included SP4 Andrew A. Biedron Jr., SP4 Kenneth R. Brinker, SGT John Burgess, SP5 George C. Dahlman, SGT David A. Dittmer, PFC Victor L. Mills, CPL Robert L. Park, SGT Ronald H. Riley, SGT Perry J. Scott, SP5 Charles D. Short, SP4 Charles C. Smith Jr., and SGT Timothy T. Tipton. Also lost was a Pacific Stars & Stripes correspondent embedded with the unit, SSG Paul D. Savanuck, the first S&S reporter killed since the Korean War. A sweep of the battle area revealed five NVA bodies, two found inside the perimeter. Total enemy kills were estimated at thirteen. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org, “G2 & G3 Journal (3d MARDIV)” at ttu.edu, and “Stripes’ Newsman Killed in Attack.” Pacific Stars & Stripes, April 23, 1969; also “Human bombs hit U.S. base.” Chicago Times, April 19, 1969; also, information provided by Howell M. Young (May 2020)]

On the remembrance of your 70th birthday, your sacrifice is not forgotten.

Forever 18.

HOOAH

A strong soldier, one I wished that I met but shall never. It's sad to think that this man never had the chance to have a wife or a family. He will and shall go down in history for his bravery along with his fellow brothers. May no one ever have to go through what these men had to go through. Shall not be forgotten.