THE WALL OF FACES

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotions and spends himself in a great worthy cause; who at the best, knows in the end triumph of high achievement and, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while caring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold, timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat. Theodore Roosevelt

https://pluviolover.com/2021/05/30/poetry-hello-tom/

Dear PFC Thomas Steele, Thank you for your service as an Infantryman. Saying thank you isn't enough, but it is from the heart. Tomorrow is 47th anniversary of the official end of the war. Time passes quickly. Please watch over America, it stills needs your strength, courage, guidance and faithfulness, especially now. Rest in peace with the angels.

The Battle of Xa Cam My was fought over two days during April 11–12, 1966, 10 miles south of the village of Cam My in Phuoc Tuy Province, RVN. Originally planned as a U.S. search and destroy mission intended to lure out the "crack" Viet Cong D800 Battalion, Charlie Company, U.S. 2/16th Infantry Battalion soon found itself fighting for survival in the rubber plantations of Cam My village, approximately 42 miles east of Saigon. During this battle, 134 men of Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division, were ambushed by the Viet Cong and 80 percent became casualties. Major General William E. DePuy, as commander of the U.S. 1st Infantry Division, planned to lure out the Viet Cong by using Charlie Company as a bait. As Charlie Company moved through the Courtenay Rubber Plantation, they encountered sporadic fire with Viet Cong snipers attempting to knock the Americans off one by one. The sporadic fire allowed the Viet Cong to maneuver around the outnumbered Americans. By 2:00 PM, VC officers were spotted around the positions of Charlie Company, directing the encirclement of U.S. positions. By that time, it had become clear that the Viet Cong had taken the bait. However, DePuy's gamble on other rifle companies arriving to assist was thwarted by the thick jungle. To minimize casualties and break the ambush, Charlie Company formed a circular perimeter with interlocking fire. The situation deteriorated as Charlie Company found itself increasingly isolated with only a distant hope of reinforcement. This was made worse when misdirected artillery fired upon Charlie Company instead of the aggressive VC forces. The fighting continued well into the night, with the desperate Charlie Company throwing all it had at the determined Viet Cong. However, their efforts were not enough to stop the Viet Cong from breaking through their lines. Through the night, small units from the Viet Cong D800 Battalion breached the American perimeter, retrieving their own casualties and killing American wounded. After five hours of brutal fighting, what was left of Charlie Company formed a tight perimeter, protected by a barrage of artillery fire which came down at a rate of five or six rounds per minute. By 7:00 AM on April 12th, the Viet Cong had disengaged from the battle before other U.S. units could arrive. American losses numbered 37 killed and 70 wounded, while the Viet Cong left 41 dead on the field, and more than 80 killed and wounded were removed. Two posthumous Medals of Honor were awarded in connection with this battle, SGT James W. Robinson Jr. and A1C William H. Pitsenbarger, the latter awarded in December 2000. The other lost Americans included PFC Marion F. Acton, SP4 Howard C. Blevins, PFC Carl D. Buckley, PFC Andrew J. Campbell, SGT William H. Causey, SSGT Ralph Coleman, PFC John A. Davis, SP4 Donald E. Dermont Jr., PFC Dennis A. Desco, PFC Philyaw Fee, SP4 Eugene Garrett Jr., PFC Edward L. George, SSGT Bozy Gerald, PFC David A. Hammett, PFC Charles E. Harvey, PFC Norman L. Hawkins, PFC Robert A. Johnson, SSGT Philip A. Jones, PSGT Everett E. Langston, SGT Richard J. Manley, PVT Emmitt Mays Jr., SP4 Charles D. Oglesby, SP4 Randall B. Prinz, PFC Edward W. Reilly, SGT Ronald J. Seasholtz, SP4 Henry A. Shiver, PFC J.C. L. Short, PFC Joseph F. Smith, PFC Thomas D. Steele, CPT George C. Steinberg, PFC Deane S. Van Dyke Jr., PFC Daniel E. Walden, PFC George H. Ward, PFC John W. Watkins, and SGT Irving M. Wilson Jr. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org and wikipedia.org]

Thomas was an Infantryman with C CO, 2nd BN, 16th Infantry, 1st Infantry Div. He was only in country for 13 days when his Company formed the ill fated spearhead in the Battle of Xa Cam My, 11 KM NE of Binh Kia in the Courtenay Rubber Plantation. He died along side 36 of his fellow soldiers during a two day battle defending their position. RIP Tom, your bravery, courage and dedication to your country will never be forgotten.