THE WALL OF FACES

We are installing. Memorial plaque at our Analy High School. I am looking for family members to invite.

Thank you for your service to our country so long ago sir. As long as you are remembered you will always be with us....

Fire Support Base Illingworth was a U.S. Army firebase located twenty-one miles northwest of Tay Ninh, approximately three miles from the Cambodian border. On April 1, 1970, the base was occupied by Companies C and E, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry; B Battery, 5th Battalion, 2nd Artillery; A Battery, 1st Battalion, 30th Artillery; A Battery, 2nd Battalion, 32nd Artillery; and B Battery, 1st Battalion, 77th Artillery, comprising roughly 220 men. Ground surveillance radar detected strong movement outside the perimeter right before midnight, and at approximately 2:17 AM the North Vietnamese Army began pounding the base with over 300 rounds of mixed 122mm and 107mm rockets, 120mm, 82mm, and 60mm mortars, and 75mm recoilless rifle and B-40 rocket-propelled grenade rounds. Illingworth was then assaulted by a force of over 400 troops from the southwest. The enemy was engaged with unit weapons, artillery, aerial rocket artillery, night-illuminated “Nighthawk” attack helicopter sorties, and other air support. Fighting was fierce, particularly on the southwest portion of the firebase where friendly forces engaged the enemy in hand-to-hand combat in order to repel the assault. During the attack, an ammunition dump containing over 190 rounds of 8” ammunition exploded in a tremendous blast, destroying an 8” artillery gun and damaging radio antennas, rendering a temporary loss of communication. At 3:30 AM, the base was still receiving mortar and rocket fire although the ground attack had been broken. All incoming fire ceased at 4:30 AM, and search operations began. The attack resulted in twenty-five U.S. killed and fifty-eight wounded. The lost Americans included CPL Bobby L. Barker, PFC Thomas R. Bowen, CPT Cleaveland F. Bridgman, CPL Billy P. Carlisle, SSG Benjamin V. Childress Jr., SGT David G. Dragosavac, CPL Leroy J. Fasching, SGT Syriac Hebert Jr., SGT Robert A. Hill, SGT Kenneth R. Hodge, SGT Robert H. Lane Jr., SP4 David H. Lassen, CPL Nathan J. Mann, PFC Roger J. McInerny Jr., SP4 Thomas J. Murphy, CPL Michael R. Patterson, SGT Sidney E. Plattenburger, SGT Gerald W. Purdon, SP4 Terry L. Schell, CPL Klaus D. Schlieben, CPL John L. Smith, SGT Brent A. Street, SSG Lawrence E. Sutton, SGT Casey O. Waller, and SSG Steven J. Williams. Sixty-five NVA were killed and numerous weapons and equipment were captured. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org and “Operational Report, Lessons Learned 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) for the Period Ending 30 April 1970” at ttu.edu]

PFC Thomas R Bowen is resting at Sebastopol Cemetery, Sebastopol, CA

Tom...Honoring You on your birthday..you will never be forgotten..God bless