THE WALL OF FACES

There is a place
Not far from here
Where spirits walk
And heroes live
And honor still resides.

It is a wall
With names inscribed
Of those who served
When they were asked...
The brothers of my youth.

I go there still
To walk and think
About my life,
And what I've done since
And things that might have been.

There is a debt
I can't repay
Too many lives were spent.
And one man's life cannot suffice
To make their deaths worthwhile.

But there is hope
In the memory
Of those we leave behind
Who know the price that freedom brings
Who can carry on in kind.

I send you now
To touch a name
So the vision can be passed
Remember there is honor still
It is for you to see it lasts.

They are not dead
And have a wish
As all old soldiers do
The reflection you see before you now
Is their wish to live in you.

You were the one to look up to from basic on. When I heard you went back the 2d time I wasn't surprised. The third time I was worried not because I didn't believe in you but because I was concerned about the odds. R.I.P. man.

Dear Cpl Daniel Spencer, Thank you for your service as a Special Forces Qualified Infantryman. Saying thank you isn't enough, but it is from the heart. Happy Easter, and Passover. Time moves quickly. Please watch over America, it stills needs your strength, courage, guidance and faithfulness, especially now. Rest in peace with the angels.

CPL Daniel E. Spencer Jr. was a Special Forces-qualified infantryman serving with Command and Control North (CCN), Military Assistance Command, Vietnam–Studies and Observations Group (MACV-SOG), 5th Special Forces Group, U.S. Army, Republic of Vietnam. On November 12, 1968, CPL Spencer reportedly was recreational swimming at a Da Nang area beach in Quang Nam Province, RVN, when he was caught in the undertow and drowned. He was listed as missing until his body was recovered and positively identified ten days later. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org; obituary from The Bulletin (Bend, OR), November 26, 1968, courtesy of Erin Weaver, Public Service Specialist, Deschutes Public Library, Bend OR]

In Long Khanh Province, Republic of Vietnam, SP4 R. Richter watches for a helicopter while Sgt. Daniel E. Spencer stares at their fallen comrade. (NARA, 111-SC-653974)