THE WALL OF FACES

Thank you Doc Bossman for your courage and for your devotion to your Marines.

PLEASE COME HOME. I PRAY YOU DO.

DEAR HOSPITAL CORPSMAN BOSSMAN,
THANKS FOR YOUR SERVICE AS A HOSPITAL CORPSMAN WITH THE 1ST MARINE AIR WING. THANKS ALSO FOR THE LIVES YOU SAVED. SEMPER FI. FRANKIE WAS ALSO KILLED IN QUANG TRI, SAY HI TO HIM. TODAY IS THE 42ND ANNIVERSARY OF PRESIDENT FORD CALLING THIS DAY THE OFFICIAL END TO THE WAR. IF IT WAS ONLY THAT EASY. I AM SO SORRY. IT HAS BEEN FAR TOO LONG FOR ALL OF YOU TO HAVE BEEN GONE. WE APPRECIATE ALL YOU HAVE DONE, AND YOUR SACRIFICE. WATCH OVER THE U.S.A., IT STILL NEEDS YOUR COURAGE. GOD BLESS YOU. MAY THE ANGELS BE AT YOUR SIDE. REST IN PEACE. YOU ARE ALL IN OUR PRAYERS.

In dedication to you're ultimate sacrifice HM3 Bossman, I have worn you're POW/MIA bracelet for at least the last 20 years and will continue to wear it as it is part of me. If I meet my end before you are found I hope one of my kids will cary on the dedication to your sacrifice until you are found and brought home.

CAPT Phillip A. Ducat was a helicopter pilot assigned to HHM 161, Marine Air Group 16. On Sepember 26, 1966, Ducat was assigned a medical evacuation mission in Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam. His co-pilot was 1LT Dean W. Reiter of the same Marine helicopter company and HM3 Peter R. Bossman, a U.S. Navy Corpsman. (NOTE: According to Navy records, Bossman was assigned to HHM 161, MAG 16.) When the helicopter was approximately 22 miles west of Dong Ha, Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam, the aircraft was hit by enemy ground fire, burst into flames and exploded prior to impact with the ground. The crew aboard was killed, and the intense fire of the crash consumed all remains. The crew of the UH-34 was listed as killed, body not recovered. [Narrative taken from pownetwork.org; image from wikipedia.com]